BHOPAL: Finance minister Arun Jatley and CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan released BJP’s manifesto 11 days ahead of voting on Saturday. Named ‘Drishti Patra’, its focus is clearly on ‘vikas’ — intune with what the CM told TOI in an interview the previous day — rather than Ram Van Gaman Path or cow commerce that Congress is championing as part of its soft Hindutva strategy.The BJP’s manifesto has youth, women and farmers in focus, promising 10 lakh jobs a year, free mopeds to meritorious girl students and additional crop benefits to kisans. Interestingly, it brings ‘bijli, sadak, paani’ back on priority list — the very plank that helped it leap to power in 2003.It does not offer much in terms of novelty. What’s missing — all the more glaring when compared with the Congress manifesto — is any mention of Ram and gaushala beyond what’s already on. Congress, on the other hand, devoted an entire section to religion and spirituality — retracing Lord Ram’s footsteps, building rest houses for Narmada Parikrama pilgrims, and even promising gau-mutra commerce.The BJP’s manifesto is divided into two parts — one for women, called ‘Nari Shakti’, and the other ‘Drishti Patra’ — and has something for all sections of society. It promises special schemes for women, and benefits of ‘Sambal’ — a pre-poll welfare programme that could prove to be a gamechanger — to all sections, irrespective of caste or creed.The manifesto is based on development agenda and focuses on a push to shed the Bimaru tag and emerge as a developed state. During the last 15 years, the BJP-led government has worked upon basic infrastructure development. Now it’s time to build a prosperous state,” Jaitley said after releasing the manifesto.On the half named ‘Nari Shakti’, Chouhan said: “We will focus on the ‘Adhi Abadi’ for women empowerment to mark the birth centenary of party’s founder member Rajmata Vijayaraje Scindia. The ‘Naari Shakti Sankalp Patra’ will focus on core issues related to women. To promote education, we will distribute free Scooties to girl students who score 75% and above in intermediate examination. We will also help women access credit so that they can set up their own enterprises and become financially independent.”The Drishti Patra promises 10 lakh new jobs a year, Rs 10,000 grant to unemployed, and a grant of Rs 2.50 lakh for the homeless to build houses. The manifesto also promises crop benefit to around 80 lakh small farmers, a Metro train between Jabalpur and Gwalior, special emphasis on ‘bijli, sadak, paani’ (electricity, roads and water) at an expense of Rs 2 lakh crore and a robust rural road network.To appease the general classes, BJP has announced to pay fees of students from class 1 to PhD and assistance in accommodation and transport facilities. In the special manifesto for women, the ruling party has promised free transportation to rural women on PPP mode.It promises women empowerment through self-help groups that will be given financial assistance and loan on minimal interest. It assures employment opportunities to women and Rs 51,000 assistance for marriage of girls. There is also a provision to raise the pension of women from Rs 300 to Rs 1,000, said Chouhan.With special focus on farmers and farm-related issues, especially after the Mandsaur agitation of 2017, the BJP promises a bonus of Rs 265 per quintal to farmers. The scheme also covers farmers who own just 1 acre.“The state government has tried to help farmers in every possible way. We have sought to ensure irrigation to every farmland, and subsidy to every farmer. Now, the party has decided to give a bonus of Rs 265 directly in the bank account of every farmer with up to 5 acres of land. Efforts to reconstitute Rajya Krishak Ayog (State Farmer Commission) are underway and a roadmap will be prepared to invite private investment of Rs 50,000 crore for farm activities in the coming five years,” said the chief minister.It also promises development of new industrial townships, ‘Naljal’ scheme for supplying drinking water in rural areas, smart villages, mini smart cities and rural roads to connect villages with a population of 1,000. A new salary framework will be worked out for state government employees and a merchant welfare fund set up. TNN

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