Jobs, MSP, security, dignity: How Congress’ Nyay Patra promises a true welfare state

Hyderabad: Lok Sabha Elections 2024 and the Indian National Congress Nyay Patra represent (The Manifesto) a commitment to bring about change and restore hope for the people of India. The Congress Nyay Patra promises a brighter future for every segment of society, ensuring growth, happiness, safety & security for you and your family. It is an earnest appeal to every voter: choose Congress in this Lok Sabha Election and join us in building a better India where we can all grow together, live better lives, and cherish our shared progress.

What is the Nyay Patra?

Nyay Patra by the Indian National Congress is a comprehensive and holistic manifesto, a testament to unwavering commitment to the people of India.

It aims to address the problems of the people in current times. It has 3 W’s: work, wealth, and welfare.

This can be achieved by:

Deliver social justice

Jobs for youth

Empowering women

MSP for farmers

Safeguard workers community

Defend constitution

Accelerating economy

Restore federalism

National security

Protect environment

Key highlights: 25 guarantees

The 45-page manifesto, released by party president Sri Mallikarjun Kharge, revolves around the theme of justice (panchayat or five pillars of justice) and 25 guarantees.

Right to apprenticeship (to every diploma holder or graduate below 25 years)

Filling 30 lakh vacancies in government posts

Constitutional amendments to remove the 50% cap on reservation for SCs, STs, and OBCs

Nationwide caste census

Implementing 10% reservation in jobs and educational institutions for economically weaker sections (EWS)

Scrapping the Agnipath recruitment scheme for the armed forces

MPS is a legal right of farmers

The other key promises in the manifesto include:

Universal healthcare - the “Rajasthan Model” of cashless treatment with health insurance up to ₹25 lakh

Cash transfer of ₹1 lakh per year to every Indian family at the bottom of the income pyramid

50% reservation for women in Central government jobs

Implementing one-third reservation for women in State Assemblies from the 2025 round of elections, among others.

Congress policies brought growth

Since 1947, the Congress has been India’s beacon of hope. Our policies brought about rapid industrialization in a predominantly agrarian economy, transformed India from a famine-struck country to one that exports food grains to countries around the world, laid the scientific and technical foundations for India’s rise as a global software powerhouse, and built world-class institutions in research and higher education whose graduates are seen as at par with the world’s best. Even as liberalization and reforms caused economic growth to boom under successive Congress governments, our social welfare policies ensured that every citizen was able to participate in the Indian story.

Impact of Congress policies

The social welfare net created by the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) such as the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) and the National Food Security Act ensured that India was able to absorb the shocks of the Global Financial Crisis (2008), the Taper Tantrum (2013), demonetization (2016) and COVID-19 (2020).

What have people lost in the past decade?

Over the past decade, various segments of society—youth, women, elders, the middle class, gig workers, farmers, city dwellers, masons, small and medium business owners, entrepreneurs, and the working class—have been suffering under the BJP rule.

What are the reasons?

Wrong governance

Crony Capitalism, favoring few big industrial houses

Extravagant corruption, BJP made ‘bribes’ legal via electoral bonds

Wrong policy implementation by the central government such as GST and Demonetization

Let me tell you that this Government is for only a few business houses and the super-rich class who have made excessive wealth and living an extravagant life. Their children go abroad to study whereas the middle class like us and those who are at the bottom of the pyramid; it’s a daily battle for livelihood. Whether it’s securing employment, maintaining households, paying school fees for children, running businesses, or receiving fair returns for crop yields.

What is impacting the middle class?

Prices of essential commodities have skyrocketed and overall inflations for a matter of fact, have taken away money from our pockets. Savings have dwindled and dreams and hopes of living a better and secure life have vanished. In the last 10 years, household commodity prices have just doubled, such as gas cylinders in 2014 costing approx. INR 440, and now it is more than INR 1,000, another example could be, that baby’s Amul milk powder in 2014 was approx. INR 200 per kg, now its INR 450+ per Kg.

Claims of the fastest-growing large economy globally are false as our growth rate has declined from an average of 6.7% (according to the new series) during the UPA period from 2004 to 2014, to an average of 5.9% between 2014 and 2024.

How are people affected due to low growth?

The fall in growth rate has significant implications for the populace, particularly affecting the poor and middle classes. The impact is felt by people like us:

Reduced per capita income

Decreased consumption of goods and services

A lower standard of living

Household net assets have dwindled, liabilities have risen, and families are increasingly reliant on borrowing. This stark reality is that our nation has been divided between the rich and the poor, the rich are getting richer, and the poor are getting poorer.

The writer is Irfan Aziz, All India Professional Congress, president of Secunderabad Chapter & Congress Manifesto Head from Telangana.

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in the article are those of the author and do not reflect the official policy or position of News Meter