From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network

Bengaluru, May 2: AICC President Mallikarjuna Kharge and Congress party in-charge Randeep Singh Surjewala along with other all senior leaders of the party in Karnataka released the party’s electoral manifesto, ‘Congress Sankalpa’, in Bengaluru on Tuesday promising ‘Paradise of Peace to All’ (Sarva Janangada Shantiya Thota) with a mission to build 'Brand Karnataka' and make the State as Number One in the entire country.

Flanked by KPCC Chief D K Shivakumar, opposition leaders Siddaramaiah, B K Hariprasad, Manifesto Committee Chairman Dr G Parameshwar and senior State party leaders, Kharge announced that the party’s goal is not just to come back to power but ‘perform and deliver’ on its promises and declared that a high power committee will be formed for overseeing the implementation of the manifesto.

The Congress manifesto, the party has reiterated its promised Guarantees of Gruha Joythi (200 units of free power to all domestic consumers), Gruha shimhmi (monthly payment of Rs 2000 to each women heads of families), Anna Bhagya (10 kg of rice or other foodgrains per head per month), Yuva Nidhi (monthly allowance of Rs 3000 to each to unemployed graduates and Rs 1,500 to unemployed diploma holders) and Shakti (free travel to all women in KSRTC/BMTC buses).

To counter BJP’s Hindutva and anti-minority agenda, the Congress party has equated the banned Islamic outfit, Popular Front of India (PFI) with the Sangh Parivar affiliated Bajrang Dal, the youth wing of Vishwa Hindu Parishad, and said the Congress government will ban all such organisations that promote ‘enmity or hatred, whether among majority and minority communities’. It declared that the Constitution and Laws are sacrosanct and cannot be violated by individuals and organisations by Bajrang Dal, PFI or such other outfits.

“All the unjust laws and other anti-people measures,’’ brought in by the BJP rule will be repealed within one year of coming to power, the manifesto promised.

On the contentious issue of New Pension Scheme (NPS) vs the Old Pension Scheme (OPS), the manifesto promises to ‘Sympathetically consider extension of OPS to the pensionable government employees, who joined the service since 2006’ and also fill up all the approved but vacant government posts within one year.

It promises to effect a scheme for considering the employees of Government Owned Transport Corporations on par with respective categories in the Government Service and other Boards and Corporations in terms of Salary and services under the provisions of Industrial Disputes Act and within the budgetary provisions of the respective corporations and also to regularise the services of all employees on contract basis of the Health and Family Welfare Department on the lines of similar action taken by the Congress governments in Rajasthan and Himachal Pradesh.

The services of all the employees of the State owned Transport Corporations will be treated on par with government employees and those from other boards and corporations in terms of salary and services and also promises to increase the salaries of Anganawadi workers from Rs 11,500 to Rs 15,000 and retirement benefit of Rs 3 lac, which will be provided even on premature death and mini-anganawadi workers from Rs 7,500 to Rs 10,000 with retirement benefit of Rs 2 lac, with a hike in the monthly honorarium of Asha workers from Rs 5,000 to Rs 8000 and mid-day meal cooks from Rs 3,600 to Rs 6,000.

In a major move, the party has promised to increase the ceiling and reservation from 50 per cent to 75 per cent to accommodate the hopes and aspirations of SC/ST/OBC/Minority/and other communities like Lingayat and Vokkaligas. The party has also promised to allocate funds of Rs 10,000 crore for minority welfare -- Muslim, Christian, Jain, Buddhists and others.

It also promises to repeal all unjust laws and other anti people laws passed by the BJP government within one year of coming to power. The manifesto says the government will reject the NEP and form a State Education Policy.

The manifesto announced a programme to assist Kashmiri Pandits, who had to migrate out of Kashmir. "To allot Rs 15 crore to start Kashmiri Culture, one time grant of Rs 25 crore and annual grant of Rs 1 crore from the Department of Kannada and Culture.

"The BJP has distorted the textbooks by insulting the great souls of Karnataka. The Congress will restore the true values of Bharat and Karnataka and scientific temper in the textbooks to make the students evolved and complete," it says. The party promised to introduce Puneeth Rajkumar heart health scheme to offer subsidies to doctors, clinics, nursing homes to buy defibrillators (AED).

The manifesto proposes to spend Rs 1.5 lakh crore for irrigation in the next five years (2023-2028). It has proposed to take up new projects such as the Mekedatu project at a cost of Rs 9,000 crore and Mahadayi at a cost of Rs 3,000 crore. It promises to allot Rs 500 crore in the first cabinet meeting for Mahadayi project.

It also talks about providing Rs 1,000 crore for cleaning all important rivers in Karnataka over a period of five years. The Congress assures to complete Yettinahole project within two years of assuming power. It proposes to give industry status to hotels with more than 20 employees and loan facilities up to Rs 10 lakh with six per cent interest for small self employed Ahotel, bakery, and sweet stall sectors.

The manifesto proposes to regularise all slums and provide them title deeds and rename slums as Shramika Vasathi Samuchchaya. It assures bringing amendment to the Forest Act to solve forest dwellers problems. The other main proposals include; to give loans up to Rs 3 lakh at zero interest to dairy farmers to purchase superior cow/buffalo breed; to increase per litre milk subsidy for all dairy farmers from Rs 5 to Rs 7; to purchase cow dung at Rs 3 per kg and establish compost/manure centres in villages involving rural women/youth.

"Unfortunately, the Government of India led by Narendra Modi as the PM has pursued the politics of hate, bigotry, false-sloganeering, and unbridled corruption. And to hide the failure of the government, BJP is indulging in the worst and unethical practices of propaganda. This was never seen at any time in the history of India.

With inputs from IANS