New Delhi: Flanked by UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi, former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and former finance minister P. Chidambaram, the Congress president reached out to farmers and promised to waive farm loans in all states like his party’s governments have done in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh. The Congress promised to put farmers on the path from “karz maafi” (loan waiver), to “karz mukti” (freedom from loans).
He also promised a separate budget for farmers, making farmers’ debt a civil rather than a criminal case that may entail imprisonment and setting up of a National Commission on Agricultural Development and Planning.
The highest priority was, however, reserved for jobs. The document promised to create a new ministry of industry, services and employment. “All the four lakh vacancies in Central government, Central public sector enterprises, judiciary and Parliament would be filled before the end of March 2020.
The Congress would also request state governments to fill nearly 20 lakh vacancies in their departments.
Mr Gandhi said that the Congress will allocate 6 per cent of GDP to education and strengthen government hospitals. The Congress promised that school education from Class I to Class XII in public schools shall be compulsory and free.
The party also promised to enact the Right to Healthcare Act and guarantee every citizen free diagnostics, out-patient care, free medicines and hospitalisation, through a network of public hospitals and enlisted private hospitals.
To woo women voters, the Congress promised a reservation of 33 per cent of seats in Lok Sabha and Assemblies.
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