2 weeks Ago By TOI News Desk
NEW DELHI: Congress on Monday, launched its manifesto for the upcoming Jammu and Kashmir Assembly elections , pledging a range of welfare initiatives for farmers, women, and youth. The manifesto, titled " Haath Badlega Halaat ," was jointly released by AICC chief spokesperson Pawan Khera and PCC president Tariq Hameed Karra at the party's office in Srinagar. The Congress mentioned that they will restore the statehood of Jammu & Kashmir and also mentioned to provide interest free loans up to Rs 5 lakh to self-help groups of women (SHG).
The Congress has promised to provide Rs 3,000 per month to every women head of the family under 'Mahila Samman programme.' "During the 'Bharat Jodo Yatra', the women of Jammu and Kashmir put forth their concerns to Rahul Gandhi and other leaders. We have promised Mahila Samman programme under which we will give Rs 3000 monthly assistance to the woman head of the family.
An interest-free loan of rupees five lakh will be given to women self-help groups," the Khera said during release of manifesto. Additionally, it also mentions Rs 25 lakh health insurance to each family and reservation to OBC community. The manifesto also features 100% insurance against natural calamities for all crops and a minimum support price (MSP) of Rs 72 per kilogram for apples.
"We will provide an additional financial support of Rs 4,000 for landless, tenant, and land-owning farming households per year. We will also arrange 99-year leases to landless farmers cultivating state land," said Pawan Khera. Additionally, the party vows to establish a Rs 2,500-crore fund dedicated to district-level irrigation projects, aiming to ensure 100 percent irrigation coverage for farmers throughout Jammu and Kashmir.
The manifesto includes plans to revive special border recruitment for police, fire brigade, and forest protection force, as well as the scheme for allotting 30 per cent of construction work-related contracts to unemployed engineers' groups. "We will simplify the verification process for all government jobs, passports and other purposes by making them time-bound and simplified to check undue harassment," the manifesto reads. The grand old party also mentioned to provide an unemployment allowance of up to Rs 3,500 per month for one year to qualified individuals.
Additionally, they said that they will fill one lakh vacant government positions by releasing a job calendar within 30 days of assuming power. "If you look at the track record of Congress in the last ten years, be it Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, wherever we have formed governments we implemented our guarantees. People have faith in us.
We have put our entire agenda in front of the public in our manifesto. The people of Jammu and Kashmir have made up their minds. They have decided that if the BJP has to be defeated, then only INDIA Alliance parties should be voted for," said Khera.
Khera announced that a minority commission will be formed in Jammu and Kashmir within 100 days of the Congress coming to power. "I would like to inform you that this Congress Party manifesto is truly the people's manifesto. Through committees in 22 districts, we engaged with various segments of society, gathered feedback, and incorporated these valuable insights into this document.
We proudly refer to it as the People's Manifesto," said Jammu & Kashmir Congress President Shri Tariq Hameed Karra..
