Meghalaya polls: Congress releases its manifesto, promises free roof for very BPL family

This was stated in the manifesto released by AICC general secretary in-charge for media, publicity and communication department Jairam Ramesh here in the presence of Meghalaya In-charge Manish Chatrath and MPCC chief Vincent H Pala.

This also came two days after the party had launched its five commitments to make Meghalaya a five-Star state.

Stating that the manifesto has 14 big promises to be fulfilled over the next five years, Ramesh said, “Every year, we will present a report card to the people of Meghalaya on the status of implementation of each of the promises that we have made.”

“These five promises have come out of these 14 promises in our manifesto, which is a sacred document to us. We will have an annual report on the implementation of these manifesto and we will hold ourselves accountable to the people of Meghalaya for this manifesto,” he added.

He said that the first commitment is to empower women by extending financial help of Rs 3000 per month to every single mother adding that 41% of women in Meghalaya are single women.

“We have promised to give jobs to every household. Third, we have promised a power cut free Meghalaya, fourth a corruption free Meghalaya, most important as we will have a law against corruption. We will implement this law, we will have an ombudsman, we will have strong anti-corruption machinery and whatever the onus passed by the legal authorities like the green tribunal will be implemented fully and fifth a drug free Meghalaya.”

The 14-point manifesto said that the Congress is committed to providing free health care for all citizens under the soon to be unveiled Free Health Care Scheme and provide free education to every girl child in Meghalaya from kindergarten to XII standard to empower them to fulfill their dreams, ambitions and aspirations.

It will also announce a minimum support price (MSP) for Ginger, Turmeric, Broomstick, Black Pepper and other agricultural products.

The Congress said it will provide every BPL household with quality roofing materials in a phased implementation and Rs 500 crore corpus funds for building infrastructure for religious gatherings.

“We will establish a dedicated State University with special focus on job-oriented and market-ready courses such as IOT (Internet of Things), BlockChain Technology, IT and ITES,” it said.

The manifesto said that the party is also committed to establishing a Special Urban Police Force which will be modern, people-friendly and equipped to handle city-based crime scenarios using the latest technology and equipment.

Assuring free power and free LPG cylinder for BPL families, it said, “We will provide 200 units of free power to each household with consumption expenditure below the poverty line (BPL). We will provide a free LPG cylinder quarterly to each household.”

The Congress further assured to create one job for every household in Meghalaya through promotion of mass entrepreneurship.

Stating that the party would also restore the dignity of the teachers in Meghalaya and that there will be no more delay in salaries, it said, “Our teachers don’t have to resort to dharna or protests for their legitimate demands. We respect you and your profession and your justified demands will be fulfilled because we respect the dignity of your profession and acknowledge your selfless service.”

The party said it also proposes to augment the power supply in the state by an additional 500 MW through the adoption of clean and green technologies.

“We shall establish an exclusive market for women where products with ‘proudly made in Meghalaya’ tag will be marketed and sold,” it added.

Further, the manifesto said that the topmost priority in the party’s vision is to provide a clean, transparent and accountable governance to the people of Meghalaya.

“We are committed to digitize all government records, reports and data in order to ensure citizen-friendly and transparent governance of the state,” it said.

The party further assured to strive to arrive at a mutually acceptable solution to resolve the problems pertaining to areas of difference along Assam-Meghalaya border without compromising on the dignity and integrity of the territorial boundaries.

By Our Reporter