Keeping promises: New Madhya Pradesh panel to implement election manifesto

Congress government in Madhya Pradesh is all set to form a Manifesto Implementation Committee in the state to review work done as promised in the party manifesto during elections. Called ‘Vachan Patra’, Congress had released a manifesto with promises of farmer’s loan waiver, jobs for unemployed and several other promises for government employees, students, women and others of the state.

The new government had announced loan waiver up to Rs 2 lakh as their first decision after coming to power.

Congress has promised one day weekly off for police officials on field posting in its election manifesto. On January 1, the government announced a weekly off for police work force.


Congress feels that a timely implementation of manifesto promises will strengthen voter’s trust in the party in the run up to 2019 polls. A section of the party leadership feels that one of the prime reasons of BJP losing the recent assembly elections is that promises made by Prime Minister Modi in 2014 has not been fulfilled. “Now a day people of the country judge government performances by what they have done out of what they promised,” a senior Madhya Pradesh Congress leader told ET. “That’s why we are planning to have a committee to review the implementation. A proper framework shall be prepared once the chief minister sets in his new team.”

Sources tell ET that the said committee would come under the State Planning Commission. Since the chief minister of the state is the de facto chairman of state planning commission, the new committee will directly come under the chief minister and will report to him.

The main role of the planning commission is to assess the resources of the state and accordingly prepare government schemes.

The new commission will well within the ambit of planning commission and new schemes would be prepared based on the promises made in the manifesto. “Apart from ideating new schemes, the committee shall also monitor progress of the implementation and report it to the chief minister,” said the senior Congress leader. Apart from the chief minister and few ministers, some MLAs are also likely to be included in the committee.

Congress president Rahul Gandhi has also called the newly formed governments to adhere to party manifesto.