Karnataka   

Congress unveils 7-point manifesto

BANGALORE: Taking a cue from the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, the Congress on Wednesday came out with a seven-point manifesto promising 25 kg of rice a month at Rs. 2 and a colour television set for families below the poverty line, and extension of the Yeshasvini health insurance scheme to all green card-holding families.

Announcing a partial manifesto for the Assembly elections here on Wednesday, the party’s Manifesto Committee chairman, C.K. Jaffer Sharief, said that farmers, women’s self-help groups, potters, handloom weavers, fishermen and shepherds would be given loans at a maximum interest of three per cent. More announcements would be made later, he added.

Mr. Sharief said that all unemployed youth who had passed the SSLC examination would be given a skills training-linked stipend of Rs. 1,200 for two years.

He said that 15 lakh homeless families in the State would get houses over a period of five years. All arrears to be paid by those who had taken loans under the Ashraya and Indira Awaz Yojana would be waived.

All India Congress Committee general secretary in-charge of Karnataka Prithviraj Chavan, Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee president M. Mallikarjun Kharge, Election Management and Coordination Committee chairman S.M. Krishna and Campaign Committee chairman Siddaramiah were present.

Asked whether the Congress was not draining resources on populist schemes such as giving colour television sets, the leaders said that the purpose was to empower the beneficiaries with knowledge so that they could make use of the Right to Information Act.

While Mr. Siddaramiah said “let the poor also have entertainment,” Mr. Sharief said that the TVs would provide mass education to the poor.

Mr. Krishna said that the party would provide funds for these programmes if voted to power, as it did in 1999.

The Congress had provided nine lakh of the 15 lakh sites/houses it had promised, when it was in power for a little over four years, he added.

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