HP: BJP targets women voters in its manifesto
Shimla: Containing 48.9 per cent of the total voters in Himachal Pradesh, women are set to play a critical role in determining which way the tide is set to turn in the upcoming polls, and keeping that in mind, the ruling BJP unveiled a separate 'promises for women' during the release of its election manifesto on Sunday here.
As the saffron party realised that their sway over the final results is evident with political parties making a beeline to gain support across villages and towns, which could help to prove their poll slogan true. In that 11-point 'special' manifesto unveiled by Bharatiya Janata Party's national president J P Nadda, women are being promised 33 per cent reservation in government jobs and educational institutions of the state. The BJP government will augment Mukhyamantri Shagun Yojana by increasing the financial support for marriage of girls belonging to BPL families from the existing Rs. 31,000 to Rs. 51,000, if they retain power in the state.
They will provide a bicycle for school going girls from class VI to class XII and a scooty to the girls pursuing higher education. Further, the BJP government will establish a fund with a corpus of Rs. 500 crore for granting interest-free loans to women entrepreneurs to establish homestays.
They will empower women SHGs by increasing the upper limit of the loans given to them and interest rate on such
loans will be reduced to 2 per cent. Moreover, the BJP government will provide an amount of Rs. 25,000 to pregnant women to ensure proper treatment and care of the mother and her child.
The party has also mentioned in the segregated election manifesto for women that the BJP government will provide 3 free LPG cylinders to women of poor households in the state via the new Devi Annapoorna Yojana. It will also enroll all women over the age of 30 from poor families in Atal Pension Yojana.
The party added that they would provide a scholarship amount of Rs. 2,500 per month to the top 5,000 ranked female students from government schools graduating class XII, through the course of their graduation. They also promised of setting up a system to ease the procurement and disbursement of fodder for the women of the state through fair-price shops. The manifesto mentioned that the party will provide a separate health card to women, who are not covered under HIMCARE card. Besides, two girls' hostels dedicated to girls pursuing higher education in all the 12 districts of the state would be constructed.
Meanwhile, with as many as 27.3 lakh women out of total 55.9 lakh voters in the state, the candidates across the parties are making all efforts to tailor their messages to reach women voters. Apart from BJP, Congress has made its big poll promise of providing Rs 1,500 monthly allowance to every woman above 18 years. Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), which is also contesting the election this time, has also promised Rs 1,000 per month allowance for women.
Ironically, where the political parties talk about gender empowerment, there are around 15 female candidates across all political parties in 68 assembly constituencies.
