Sops for farmers, dalits, women in BJP’s manifesto
25-page document promises easy farm loans, free education to girls from poor families ◗ The BJP promised to give collateral-free loan of up to `3 lakh to members of the Scheduled Castes and interest-free crop loan of up to `3 lakh to farmers
Chandigarh, Oct. 13: Aiming to retain power, the BJP on Sunday released its election manifesto for Haryana polls, promising a slew of measures, including easy loans for farmers and SC members, free education to girls from poor families and skill training to 25 lakh youths.
During the unveiling of the 25-page manifesto in Hindi, Haryana chief minister M.L. Khattar said while the opposition was using freebies too woo voters ahead of the October 21 polls, his party focussed on “realism” and things that are doable.
“Helping those sections of society who need it, are to be helped, but doling out freebies for votes is not a healthy trend,” he said, apparently targeting the Congress, which has promised to write off loans to farmers “within 24 hours” of coming to
power. The BJP promised to give collateral-free loan of up to `3 lakh to members of the Scheduled Castes, interest-free crop loan of up to `3 lakh to farmers, and provide skill training with an outlay of `500 crore to 25 lakh youths. Among women-centric initiatives, it promised a ‘Pink bus’ service for women as per need, sanitary napkin-vending machines at public places in villages and cities and fast-track courts to be set up to hear crime against women.
Chandigarh, Oct. 13: Aiming to retain power, the BJP on Sunday released its election manifesto for Haryana polls, promising a slew of measures, including easy loans, for farmers and SC members, free education to girls from poor families and skill training to 25 lakh youths.
During the unveiling of the 25-page manifesto in Hindi, Haryana chief minister M.L. Khattar said while the opposition was using freebies to woo voters ahead of the October 21 polls, his party focussed on “realism” and things that are doable. “Helping those sections of society who need it, are to be helped, but doling out freebies for votes is not a healthy trend,” he said, apparently targeting the main rival Congress, which has promised to write off loans to farmers “within 24 hours” of coming to power.
The BJP promised to give collateral-free loan of up to `3 lakh to members of the Scheduled Castes, interest-free crop loan of up to `3 lakh to farmers, and provide skill training with an outlay of `500 crore to 25 lakh youths. Also, youths will be given loans without guarantee for higher education, the manifesto said, if the party returns to power.
The manifesto said the party will make a legal provision to ensure farmers don't have to mortgage more than 1.25 times land of the loan amount.
The BJP pledged it will ensure free education in government educational institutes up to post-graduate level for two girls per family having income less than `1.80 lakh per annum or land holdings up to five acres.
It also promised to make women and children anaemia-free in the next five years.
Bharatiya Janata Party’s national working president J.P. Nadda released the manifesto in presence of Khattar and other Union and state ministers, including Narendra Singh Tomar.
Mr Nadda said that this was a “commitment paper” which represented all sections of society.
The BJP described the poll manifesto, released only in Hindi, as a ‘Sankalp Patra’. Mr Khattar said the manifesto was based on the philosophy of ‘Sarve Bhavantu Sukhinah, Sarve Santu Niramayah’, a mantra which means may all become happy and free from illnesses.
The BJP has set a target of winning over 75 seats in the 90-member assembly. The party pledged to double the income of farmers by 2022.