The Congress has released its manifesto for the 2024 Lok Sabha election, promising jobs creation, and development of infrastructure, a national caste census and universal health care, among the major highlights.
The manifesto was released in Delhi by party president Mallikarjun Kharge, flanked by senior leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi. Former Union Finance Minister P Chidambaram – who led the committee that drafted the document – was also present.
“This manifesto will be ‘nyay ka dastavez‘ (a document for justice) in the political history of the country. From the five pillars of the ‘Bharat Jodo Nyaya Yatra’ – yuva (youth), kisan (farmers), naari (women), shramik (workers), and hissedari (equity), 25 guarantees will emerge, “Mr. Kharge said.
The overall theme of the manifesto is based on ‘work’, ‘wealth’, and ‘welfare’, the party said. “Work’ means you must provide jobs.’Wealth’ must be created before it is distributed.’Welfare’ means taking care of the poorer sections,” the Congress said.
In its manifesto the Congress vowed to conduct a nationwide census to identify and enumerate castes, sub-castes and their socio-economic condition, amend the Constitution to raise the 50 per cent cap on quota i.e. for scheduled castes, scheduled tribes and other backward classes.
The Congress has said it will give a permanent legal guarantee for MSP as per the formula recommended by the Swaminathan Commission.
The party also vowed to eliminate poverty by improving the fortunes of 23 crore people over the next decade. Mr. Chidambaram attacked the BJP as a “government of the rich, by the rich, and for the rich, driven by the interests of the top 1 per cent”, with a promise to lift 23 crore people on next ten years.
As part of this promise – and to empower women – the Congress said it would launch a ‘Mahalakshmi’ scheme to provide an unconditional cash transfer of Rs 1 lakh per year to the oldest female member of every poor family, besides ensuring basic income every month to poor families.
The party said it would work to restore the status quo on the country’s borders with China and “ensure areas where both armies patrolled in the past are again accessible to our soldiers”.
Universal free healthcare, including cost of diagnosis, surgery, and medication, will be made available and this would come with Rs 25 lakh cashless insurance as was implemented in Rajasthan by the Congress government.
“We promise that healthcare will be universal and free in public health centers, i.e. Hospitals, clinics, PHCs, MHCs, and dispensaries and health camps, which will include free examination, diagnosis, treatment, surgery, medicines, rehabilitation, and palliative care,” the Congress promises .
The party said, “As a one-time measure of relief all educational loans of students will be written off including interest.”