The ruling Congress on Sunday launched its manifesto for the Chhattisgarh Assembly poll, promising loan waivers for farmers; ₹3,200 per quintal for paddy; and subsidised cooking gas cylinders for women.
Free education from kindergarten to post graduation in government colleges; 200 units of electricity for free; 17.5 lakh houses for the rural poor; ₹6,000 per bag of tendu leaves; and a caste census have also been promised in the “Bharose ka Ghosna Patra (manifesto of trust) 2023-28’ launched on the last day of campaigning for the first phase of the polls.
The document was unveiled at six different places with Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel releasing it in Rajnandgaon and the party’s Chhattisgarh in-charge Kumari Selja doing so in State capital Raipur.
The party had made 17 promises at various stages of the campaign earlier, while the Opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) released its manifesto two days ago. Some of the Congress promises, including paddy prices, have been revised upwards from the announcements made earlier.
While it had earlier said that it would give ₹3,000 per quintal of paddy procured from farmers, the party kept the rate at ₹3,200 per quintal in the formal manifesto, taking it ahead of the BJP, which promises to pay ₹3,100 per quintal.
In its manifesto, the party has announced that the landless will receive ₹10,000 per year, up from the ₹7,000 they are getting under the Rajiv Gandhi Landless Agricultural Labourer Justice Scheme.
Laying out its vision for education, the party also promised to convert all government schools into Swami Atmanand schools, where the State has upgraded infrastructure and is offering quality education in English and Hindi.
During the launch, Mr. Baghel said that a Mahtari Nyay Yojana would be launched for women, under which a subsidy of ₹500 per cooking gas cylinder would be given to women of all income groups. The subsidy will be directly deposited into the bank accounts of women, he said.
Election for the 90-member Assembly will be held in two phases on November 7 and November 17.
