Rajasthan Assembly election: Caste-based survey, panchayat level recruitments in Congress manifesto

Jaipur: Apart from the seven guarantees by the Congress, the party promised to conduct a caste-based census if it returned to power in Rajasthan.

In the party’s election manifesto released today, Congress also promised to begin a new method of recruitment at the panchayat level and four lakh government jobs, hoping to assuage the anger of youth, who are agitated over rising unemployment and the frequent paper leaks.

It also promised to provide a total of 10 lakh jobs including the four lakh government jobs.

In its long-term vision for 2030, Congress had already promised seven guarantees of social justice and economic empowerment which includes giving Rs 10,000 yearly cash to the female head of the family under the Griha Laxmi Yojana Guarantee.

For relief to the women, Congress will also provide the gas cylinders at a subsidised cost of Rs 400. The gas cylinder price has been further reduced to Rs 400 to counter BJP’s promise of a cylinder at Rs 450.

Congress has already promised to return to the Old Pension Scheme for state government employees, access to English Medium schools for all students, free laptops, tablets for first year government college students. It also vows to guarantee free education to all students upto class 12 in private educational institutions as well as housing for all. It has raised the insurance to Rs 50 lakh from the present Rs 25 lakh under the Chiranjeevi Health Insurance Scheme.

It promised to procure cow dung at Rs 2 per kg under the Gowdhan guarantee scheme.

Targeting farmers, Congress also promised to bring in a law to fix a minimum support price for crops that has been a long standing demand of the farming community. It also promised interest-free loans of Rs 2 lakh to farmers and Rs 5 lakh to traders.

In the same vein in its manifesto, BJP has pledged to purchase wheat from farmers at an MSP rate of Rs 2,800 per quintal, which is much higher than the present MSP of Rs 2,015 per quintal.

Rajasthan, which has become the first state to pass the Rajasthan Platform-based Gig Workers (Registration and Welfare) Act, 2023 has also promised to include auto and taxi drivers under the Act, which would allow them access to social security schemes.

It would also raise the days of MNREGA from 125 to 150 days a year.

The BJP manifesto, released a few days back, promised anti-romeo squad for protection of women in every district, apart from Mahila Thana in every district and a Mahila desk in every police station. This is in line with BJP’s promise to safeguard women as Rajasthan has become the state with highest crime rate against women, according to NCRB data.