Key issues

Farmer distress: Around 60 per cent of workers in the state depend on agriculture for a livelihood. Falling prices, weak government procurement and low minimum support price (MSP) for some crops have caused a great deal of distress to farmers.

Unemployment: Unemployment is the biggest issue in the assembly polls this year. In its poll manifesto, BJP has promised 30,000 new government jobs every year and 5 million employment opportunities over the next five years. On the other hand, Congress, in its manifesto, has promised a monthly allowance of Rs3,500 to all unemployed educated persons in Rajasthan.

Drinking water: According to a Niti Aayog report, just 44 per cent of Rajasthan’s rural habitations were “fully covered” by drinking water supply. In July, the Aayog urged the state government to improve the access rate and quality of drinking water in rural areas. Niti Aayog, also National Institution for Transforming India, is a policy think-tank of the union government, established with the aim to achieve sustainable development goals by fostering involvement of state governments in the policy-making process.

Law and order: The law and order situation is considerably poor in Rajasthan. There is social disharmony with several cases of mob lynching, cow vigilantism and social unrest on the rise.