A look at Congress’ promises on jobs, minimum income, kisan budget, simplified GST

‘Congress will deliver’ is the party’s tag line for its 2019 manifesto. With a foreword from Congress president Rahul Gandhi, the manifesto tries to bring out the difference between the approaches of the Congress and BJP. The party claims that it “listens to jan awaaz” and not to one person’s “mann ki baat.”
A look at the Congress’ ‘kaam, daam, shaan, sushasan, swabhimaan, samman’ promises:

Jobs, jobs, jobs
Fill all 4 lakh central government and institutional vacancies before March 2020


Create 10 lakh seva mitra positions in gram panchayats and urban local bodies

Launch water bodies restoration mission and wasteland regeneration mission to create lakhs of jobs

Exempt new businesses from taking permissions for three years

A new ministry of industry, services and employment

Application fee for government examinations and government posts to be abolished

MGNREGA 3.0 to be introduced with minimum days increased from 100 to 150

Portability of ration cards for migrant workers

A new model of governance for towns and cities will have directly elected mayors with 5-year terms

Daam
NYAY, or Nyuntam Aay, is the centrepiece, with Congress fashioning a catchy tag line ‘Garibi pe vaar — Bahattar Hazaar.’ It ensures Rs 72,000 annually to the poorest 20% of the population

A separate farmers budget every year to take farmers from ‘karz maafi ’ to ‘karz mukti’

Failure to pay back farm loans to be made a civil offence and not a criminal offence

A new GST 2.0 regime based on a single, moderate, standard rate of tax on all goods and services

A separate ministry of fisheries and welfare of fisherfolk

Shaan
Defence spending to be increased

Uncompromising approach and hard measures against terrorism

A law on asylum

Persuade other countries to compel Pakistan to end support to terrorist groups

Remove anomalies in OROP

Re-establish ministry of overseas Indians

Sushasan
Special category status to Andhra Pradesh

Full statehood to Puducherry; amend law to make it clear that Delhi’s LG shall act on aid and advice of the council of ministers except in matters concerning land, police and public order

National Judicial Commission to be responsible for selection of judges

Electoral bonds to be scrapped

Samman
Expenditure on healthcare to be doubled to 3% of GDP by 2023-24

Right to Healthcare to be guaranteed to every citizen

Dial an ambulance service

Students’ rights bill to be passed to codify the rights and obligations of students in colleges and universities

Education Loan programme to be revamped

Swabhimaan
Women’s reservation bill to be passed in the first session of Parliament

Equal opportunities commission to be set up

Constitutional amendment for reservation in promotions for SCs, STs and OBCs

Law to implement reservation in private higher education institutions

Jammu and Kashmir
Three interlocutors to facilitate talks with people of J&K

Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act and Disturbed Areas Act in J&K to be reviewed

Immediate free and fair assembly elections in J&K

Northeast
Special category status to all Northeastern states

No citizen to be denied inclusion in final NRC

Minorities
A new law in the first Parliament session to prevent and punish hate crimes such as mob lynchings