Rajasthan Congress promises to waive farm loans, provide free education to women

Loan waiver to farmers, free education to girls and women, unemployment allowance of up to Rs 3,500 to educated youth and pension to elderly farmers are among the promises the Rajasthan Congress has made in its election manifesto released here on Thursday.

AICC general secretary Avinash Pande, Pradesh Congress Committee chief Sachin Pilot, former chief minister Ashok Gehlot and manifesto committee chairman Harish Choudhary released the document titled 'Jan Ghoshna Patra' ahead of the December 7 election.

Pilot said the Congress reached out to people in various ways, including on social media, and received nearly two lakh suggestions for the manifesto. He said the party aims to implement the manifesto in a time-bound manner on formation of a Congress government in Rajasthan, which has 200 assembly seats.

Highlighting the promises made in the manifesto, Pilot said the government will waive farmers' loan, provide free education to girls and women and give up to Rs 3,500 monthly allowance to educated unemployed youths.

The ruling BJP has promised a monthly allowance of up to Rs 5,000 in its manifesto released on Tuesday.

Gehlot said the party's manifesto was based on "Rahul model" as people's suggestions were taken before drafting it. He claimed the BJP government has closed universities set up by the Congress government and promised that they will be reopened.

In the manifesto, the Congress said it would like to have agriculture equipment and tractor exempted from the Goods and Services Tax. It said recommendation to bring petrol and diesel under the GST will be made to the GST Council.

The opposition party promised to promote organic farming, give pension to elderly farmers, develop dairy industry, give push to fisheries, provide internet facility in every panchayat, link villages with eastern Rajasthan canal project.

It promised to ensure quality health services to citizens, availability of wheat to BPL families at Re 1 per kg, easy monetary loans to the youth and no fare in state-run buses for candidates travelling to appear in competitive exams.

It said it will expedite work on rail connectivity in Dungarpur, Banswara and Tonk districts if it comes to power in the state.

Rail line is a prominent poll issue in Tonk where Pilot is contesting the poll.

To push industrial growth, the party said, companies working in the fields of robotics, artificial intelligence, nano technology and quantum computing will be promoted.

It has promised new industry and tourism policies, promotion of local art, culture and heritage; a 24X7 women helpline, an ITI and poly-technic college for women in every district, increase in pension amount for the elderly, a journalists' protection act, an advocates' protection act and steps for security of religious places.

It has also promised to run desert area development programmes, make efforts include Rajasthani language in the 8th Schedule of the Constitution and set up a separate body for welfare of people who migrated to India from Pakistan.