Delhi polls: NYAY, Karnataka's Indira Canteen part of Congress' Delhi manifesto

Unemployment allowance for jobless youth, Rs 72,000 per year for needy families along the lines of 'NYAY', replicating Karnataka's experiment of Indira Canteens, cashback on power and water and uninterrupted free power for farmers are among a slew of promises made by the Congress in its manifesto for the Delhi Assembly polls.

The manifesto titled 'Aisi Hogi Hamari Delhi' (This is How Delhi Will Be), which was released on Sunday, also promises to approach Supreme Court against the controversial Citizenship (Amendment) Act by February 21 and in the first sitting of the new Assembly, it will pass a resolution to withdraw it.

It also talks about several other sops including free education for girls from nursery to PhD in government schools, subsidy for students and women in Delhi Metro as well as infrastructure development, which includes buying a fleet of electric buses and a one-time grant of Rs 25 lakh for Below Poverty Line families to set up start-ups.

One of the highlights of the manifesto is the return of the Congress' Lok Sabha poll promise of NYAY or Nyuntam Aay Yojana (minimum guarantee scheme), which ensures an income of Rs 72,000 to every poor house hold but in a tweaked form.

With the tagline 'Rahulji ki Pukaar, Berozgari pe Vaar, Rupay 72,000' (Rahul Gandhi's Clarion Call, War on Unemployment, Rs 72,000), the Congress has promised the amount for five lakh “needy families”.

Another agenda on the table is Rs 5,000 unemployment allowance to jobless graduates and Rs 7,500 to post-graduates with no jobs.

Taking a cue from the Indira Canteens run by the Congress in Karnataka, Delhi Congress also promised to open 100 such canteens entirely managed by women staff. They will offer meals at a subsidised rate of Rs 15, if the Congress walks back to power after it lost in 2013.

The manifesto has also committed to fighting pollution and improving transport facilities besides providing free electricity up to 300 units per month. It also said it will come out with a cashback scheme for

The manifesto states that for any household that uses less than the free 20,000 litres of water, proportional cashback will be provided on water bill. "We will give 30 paise per litre saved. So if a family saves 10,000 litres, it will get Rs 3,000," it said.

A similar cashback scheme on power is also promised by the Congress. It will offer a cash back of Rs 3 per unit up to a maximum of Rs 500 per consumer.

Opening of a 'Yaari Startup Incubation Fund' of Rs 5,000 crore to incentivise entrepreneurs is another promise.

"We will now make Delhi India's first electric vehicle city via DEVI-Delhi Electric Vehicles Initiative," the manifesto said.