Congress manifesto woos Telangana with Praja Darbar, interest-free crop loans, gold, cash for women

Hyderabad: The Congress party released its poll manifesto on Friday, ahead of the November 30 Telangana State Assembly elections, at Gandhi Bhavan in Hyderabad in the presence of All India Congress Committee president Mallikarjun Kharge. The event also saw Manda Jagannadham, former Telangana government’s Delhi spokesperson and former MP, joining the Congress in the presence of the party chief.

Kharge reiterated that all the promises made by the Congress party in Karnataka are being implemented and fake news is being spread in Telangana in order to discredit the contributions of the previous Congress governments in the state.

Apart from the six guarantees of the Congress party, the detailed manifesto was divided into specific promises under various categories.

The manifesto was categorised into Warangal Rythu Declaration, Hyderabad Youth Declaration, Minority Declaration, Chevella SC/ST Declaration and Kamareddy BC Declaration. These special declarations have been made keeping the specific problems of each district in mind.

The manifesto has also kept the interests and needs of transgender persons in mind by promising an identity card to the community.

The manifesto includes:

- Praja Darbar is to be set up at the chief minister’s camp office every day, similar to how it was organised under previous Congress governments.

- Case to be withdrawn against Telangana movement activists with the promise of providing 250-yard house sites for each of them.

- Interest-free crop loans for farmers up to Rs 3 lakhs.

- A comprehensive crop insurance for all major crops.

- Judicial inquiry by a sitting High Court judge into the alleged irregularities and corruption in the Kaleshwaram Project.

- Re-organisation of districts and mandals to form a new district one of them to be named after former prime minister PV Narasimha Rao.

The manifesto stated that the Dharani portal would be replaced with the Bhumatha portal and a comprehensive land survey would be carried out. A card will be issued to every farmer after the land survey.

The manifesto committee said there were a lot of complaints against the Dharani portal.

Industrial and pharma hub

The manifesto also promised a Hyderabad-Miryalaguda Industrial Corridor (HMIC) along the NH67 for facilitating storage, transportation and export. The Pharma City policy in Rangareddy district will be reviewed as per the aspiration of the farmers and Telangana High Court orders, and steps will be initiated to either abolish it or to shift to other suitable places.

Education and Health

The party promised to fill the vacant posts in teaching and non-teaching government hospitals. Osmania General Hospital in Hyderabad will be declared a heritage monument and modern healthcare infrastructure will be developed within the hospital campus. In education, fee reimbursement schemes will be reintroduced 6,000 closed government schools will be re-opened and modern infrastructure facilities provided to them. The party also promised scholarships for students.

Women and child welfare

The manifesto mentioned that the present government’s Kalyan Lakshmi scheme will be redesigned as the Kalyanamastu scheme where 10 grams of gold will be given in addition to Rs 1 lakh for those below the poverty line. The women’s commission is to be strengthened and set up of skill development centre for aspiring women, the manifesto said.

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge asked the Telangana Congress leaders to ensure that all promises listed in the manifesto will be implemented.