<p>Promising affordable healthcare, housing and help for 70 crore people to join the middle-class club, Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Wednesday released the party’s manifesto here for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls. <br /></p>.<p> <br />The manifesto also underscored the commitment to find a way for introducing reservation in education and employment for the economically weaker sections of all communities. Treading a careful path over the politically sensitive reservation issue, the manifesto made it clear that such efforts will not affect the existing reservations for SC/ST and OBCs.<br /><br />The Congress president, accompanied by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, senior leaders A K Antony, Janardan Dwivedi and Ajay Maken lauded party vice-president Rahul Gandhi’s initiative to involve “half-a-million” people in the manifesto drafting exercise.<br /><br />Rahul held more than 30 public consultations with different groups, particularly those from the “sandwiched class” comprising 70 crore people just above the poverty line but not in the middle-class, to hear their concerns. <br /><br />The 48-page document titled “Your Voice Our Pledge” also underlines the party’s commitment to “affirmative action”, a euphemism for reservation, for SC/STs in the private sector.<br /><br />Under the right to health, the Congress has promised universal, easily accessible and quality health services. <br /><br /> To achieve this, the party has proposed to increase public funding in healthcare to 3 per cent of the GDP from less than 2 per cent, the lowest in the world, at present.<br /> <br /> Both Sonia and Rahul claimed that UPA-II had fulfilled 90 per cent of the promises the Congress had made in its 2009 manifesto.<br /> <br /> When pointed out that the UPA-II had failed to control price rise and rein in inflation, Singh admitted that prices had risen in the last two-three years due to “reasons beyond our control”. <br /> <br /> He also said the rise in prices of foodgrain and vegetables was due to the UPA’s decision to “reward our farmers”.<br /> <br /> The manifesto seeks to take away the issue of black money from the BJP by appointing a special envoy to track down and recover.<br /> <br /> The manifesto promises a 15-point agenda for socio-economic and political transformation of the country, and assures exclusive 24-hour transport facilities and gender sensitivity classes for the police, particularly in registering and investigating complaints made by women.<br /> <br /> A special youth development package for Left-wing extremism affected areas with special focus on women and SC/STs is also envisaged.<br /> <br /></p>
<p>Promising affordable healthcare, housing and help for 70 crore people to join the middle-class club, Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Wednesday released the party’s manifesto here for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls. <br /></p>.<p> <br />The manifesto also underscored the commitment to find a way for introducing reservation in education and employment for the economically weaker sections of all communities. Treading a careful path over the politically sensitive reservation issue, the manifesto made it clear that such efforts will not affect the existing reservations for SC/ST and OBCs.<br /><br />The Congress president, accompanied by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, senior leaders A K Antony, Janardan Dwivedi and Ajay Maken lauded party vice-president Rahul Gandhi’s initiative to involve “half-a-million” people in the manifesto drafting exercise.<br /><br />Rahul held more than 30 public consultations with different groups, particularly those from the “sandwiched class” comprising 70 crore people just above the poverty line but not in the middle-class, to hear their concerns. <br /><br />The 48-page document titled “Your Voice Our Pledge” also underlines the party’s commitment to “affirmative action”, a euphemism for reservation, for SC/STs in the private sector.<br /><br />Under the right to health, the Congress has promised universal, easily accessible and quality health services. <br /><br /> To achieve this, the party has proposed to increase public funding in healthcare to 3 per cent of the GDP from less than 2 per cent, the lowest in the world, at present.<br /> <br /> Both Sonia and Rahul claimed that UPA-II had fulfilled 90 per cent of the promises the Congress had made in its 2009 manifesto.<br /> <br /> When pointed out that the UPA-II had failed to control price rise and rein in inflation, Singh admitted that prices had risen in the last two-three years due to “reasons beyond our control”. <br /> <br /> He also said the rise in prices of foodgrain and vegetables was due to the UPA’s decision to “reward our farmers”.<br /> <br /> The manifesto seeks to take away the issue of black money from the BJP by appointing a special envoy to track down and recover.<br /> <br /> The manifesto promises a 15-point agenda for socio-economic and political transformation of the country, and assures exclusive 24-hour transport facilities and gender sensitivity classes for the police, particularly in registering and investigating complaints made by women.<br /> <br /> A special youth development package for Left-wing extremism affected areas with special focus on women and SC/STs is also envisaged.<br /> <br /></p>
