Congress promises 1.5 lakh jobs, 50,000 laptops for meritorious kids
TNN|
Updated: Nov 02, 2017, 11.44 AM IST
Looking for a reelection in Himachal Pradesh, a state where a party is yet to win an assembly election twice in a row, the Congress tried to please all sections of society in its manifesto released on Wednesday, from young voters to pensioners.
Releasing the document in Shimla, leaders of the party promised 1.5 lakh jobs in the next five years, 50,000 laptops for meritorious students each year along with 1 GB internet data, zero tolerance for corruption, and setting up of a “grievances commission“.
Chief minister Virbhadra Singh, All India Congress Committee general secretary Sushil Kumar Shinde, and state health minister and party's manifesto committee chairperson Kaul Singh Thakur were among senior leaders who released the document in Shimla. However, Congress state president Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu and transport minister G S Bali, who was also the convener of manifesto committee, were not present.
Virbhadra said the manifesto had taken care of all sections of society and all sectors of economy . “The manifesto has an action plan for youth, women, senior citizens, pensioners, scheduled castes, scheduled tribes, other backward classes, and defence personnel, serving and retired,“ he said.
Speaking to media, Kaul Singh said the Congress had fulfilled 95% promises made in the manifesto. “This time too, on coming to power, this manifesto will become the policy document of the government; there will be no delay in its implementation,“ he said.
He said 90% subsidy will be given on seeds, fertilizers, agriculture equipment, anti-hail nets, fencing of farms and rainwater-harvesting structures. “We waive interest on agriculture loans of up to Rs 1lakh.We will take definite steps to check the menace of monkeys and other animals destroying crops,“ he said.
Releasing the document in Shimla, leaders of the party promised 1.5 lakh jobs in the next five years, 50,000 laptops for meritorious students each year along with 1 GB internet data, zero tolerance for corruption, and setting up of a “grievances commission“.
Chief minister Virbhadra Singh, All India Congress Committee general secretary Sushil Kumar Shinde, and state health minister and party's manifesto committee chairperson Kaul Singh Thakur were among senior leaders who released the document in Shimla. However, Congress state president Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu and transport minister G S Bali, who was also the convener of manifesto committee, were not present.
Virbhadra said the manifesto had taken care of all sections of society and all sectors of economy . “The manifesto has an action plan for youth, women, senior citizens, pensioners, scheduled castes, scheduled tribes, other backward classes, and defence personnel, serving and retired,“ he said.
Speaking to media, Kaul Singh said the Congress had fulfilled 95% promises made in the manifesto. “This time too, on coming to power, this manifesto will become the policy document of the government; there will be no delay in its implementation,“ he said.
He said 90% subsidy will be given on seeds, fertilizers, agriculture equipment, anti-hail nets, fencing of farms and rainwater-harvesting structures. “We waive interest on agriculture loans of up to Rs 1lakh.We will take definite steps to check the menace of monkeys and other animals destroying crops,“ he said.
(This article was originally published in The Times of India)
