What the BJP promises to Uttar Pradesh: 20 highlights

Law & order and rural areas figure most prominently in the Bharatiya Janata Party ( BJP) manifesto for the upcoming Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh. While emphasis on rural areas is a part of the party's overall national thrust, the promise of strict measures to enforce law & order is aimed at cashing in on voters unhappy with the Samajwadi Party government's poor record on that count.

Below are 20 highlights from the BJP's Uttar Pardesh manifesto which it calls Lok Kalyan Sankalp Patra:

1. Small-scale farmers' loans will be waived off.

2. All loans to small-scale farmers to be given at 0% interest.

3. A Rs 150 crore fund for agricultural development.

4. FIR to be registered within 24 hours, without discriminating on lines of caste and religions.

5. Parole violators will be jailed by special task force within 35 days.

6. Dial 100 will be upgraded to ensure police reaches within 15 minutes of call.

7. Task force against land and mining mafia.

8. Laptop + 1 GB free internet for a year for the youth.

9. Boys scoring 50% and above and all girls to be given free education till graduation.

10. Ten world-standard universities with free wi-fi to be set up.

11. Gareeb Kalyan card: Rs 6 lakh housing loan.

12. Insurance for those working in unorganised sector.

13. 24-hour electricity supply clean drinking water via pipeline to every household.

14. Toilets in every household within five years.

15. Work on Lucknow and Noida metros to be expedited.

16. Special women police task force and 100 fast-track courts for women.

17. Anti-romeo dal to be formed near every college and university.

18. Widow pension to be increased.

19. 108 ambulance service to be upgraded, to reach within 15 minutes of call.

20. 25 new medical colleges and super-specialised hospitals and six new AIIMS hospitals.