Rajasthan Congress promises to waive farm loans, provide free education to women
Jaipur, Nov 29: Loan waiver to farmers, free education to girls and women, unemployment allowance of up to Rs 3,500 to educated youth and pension to elderly farmers are among the promises the Rajasthan Congress has made in its election manifesto released here on Thursday.
AICC general secretary Avinash Pande, Pradesh Congress Committee chief Sachin Pilot, former chief minister Ashok Gehlot and manifesto committee chairman Harish Choudhary released the document titled 'Jan Ghoshna Patra' ahead of the December 7 election.
Pilot said the Congress reached out to people in various ways, including on social media, and received nearly two lakh suggestions for the manifesto. He said the party aims to implement the manifesto in a time-bound manner on formation of a Congress government in Rajasthan, which has 200 assembly seats.
Highlighting the promises made in the manifesto, Pilot said the government will waive farmers' loan, provide free education to girls and women and give up to Rs 3,500 monthly allowance to educated unemployed youths.
The ruling BJP has promised a monthly allowance of up to Rs 5,000 in its manifesto released on Tuesday.
Gehlot said the party's manifesto was based on "Rahul model" as people's suggestions were taken before drafting it. He claimed the BJP government has closed universities set up by the Congress government and promised that they will be reopened.
In the manifesto, the Congress said it would like to have agriculture equipment and tractor exempted from the Goods and Services Tax. It said recommendation to bring petrol and diesel under the GST will be made to the GST Council.
The opposition party promised to promote organic farming, give pension to elderly farmers, develop dairy industry, give push to fisheries, provide internet facility in every panchayat, link villages with eastern Rajasthan canal project.
It promised to ensure quality health services to citizens, availability of wheat to BPL families at Re 1 per kg, easy monetary loans to the youth and no fare in state-run buses for candidates travelling to appear in competitive exams.
It said it will expedite work on rail connectivity in Dungarpur, Banswara and Tonk districts if it comes to power in the state.
Rail line is a prominent poll issue in Tonk where Pilot is contesting the poll.
To push industrial growth, the party said, companies working in the fields of robotics, artificial intelligence, nanotechnology and quantum computing will be promoted.
It has promised new industry and tourism policies, promotion of local art, culture and heritage; a 24X7 women helpline, an ITI and poly-technic college for women in every district, increase in pension amount for the elderly, a journalists' protection act, an advocates' protection act and steps for security of religious places.
It has also promised to run desert area development programmes, make efforts include Rajasthani language in the 8th Schedule of the Constitution and set up a separate body for welfare of people who migrated to India from Pakistan.
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Another North Goa nightclub sealed; Kejriwal says corruption led to fire tragedy
Panaji (PTI): As part of a crackdown against tourist establishments violating laws and safety norms in the aftermath of the Arpora fire tragedy, Goa authorities on Saturday sealed a renowned club at Vagator and revoked the fire department NOC of another club.
Cafe CO2 Goa, located on a cliff overlooking the Arabian Sea at Vagator beach in North Goa, was sealed. The move came two days after Goya Club, also in Vagator, was shut down for alleged violations of rules.
Elsewhere, campaigning for local body polls, AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal said the fire incident at Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub at Arpora, which claimed 25 lives on December 6, happened because the BJP government in the state was corrupt.
An inspection of Cafe CO2 Goa by a state government-appointed team revealed that the establishment, with a seating capacity of 250, did not possess a no-objection certificate (NOC) of the Fire and Emergency Services Department. The club, which sits atop Ozrant Cliff, also did not have structural stability, the team found.
The Fire and Emergency Services on Saturday also revoked the NOC issued to Diaz Pool Club and Bar at Anjuna as the fire extinguishers installed in the establishment were found to be inadequate, said divisional fire officer Shripad Gawas.
A notice was issued to Nitin Wadhwa, the partner of the club, he said in the order.
Campaigning at Chimbel village near Panaji in support of his party's Zilla Panchayat election candidate, Aam Aadmi Party leader Kejriwal said the nightclub fire at Arpora happened because of the "corruption of the Pramod Sawant-led state government."
"Why this fire incident happened? I read in the newspapers that the nightclub had no occupancy certificate, no building licence, no excise licence, no construction licence or trade licence. The entire club was illegal but still it was going on," he said.
"How could it go on? Couldn't Pramod Sawant or anyone else see it? I was told that hafta (bribe) was being paid," the former Delhi chief minister said.
A person can not work without bribing officials in the coastal state, Kejriwal said, alleging that officers, MLAs and even ministers are accepting bribes.
