Free Nandini milk and cooking gas cylinders: This is what BJP is promising in its Karnataka manifesto

By India Today News Desk: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chief JP Nadda released the party’s manifesto, ‘Praja Dhwani’ for the May 10 Karnataka elections at the Bengaluru party headquarters on Monday. Nadda released the manifesto in the presence of Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai and party veteran BS Yediyurappa.

The party’s manifesto focuses on welfare measures for the youth, infrastructure development, and women empowerment.

Some of the top poll promises of the party include introducing a uniform civil code, three free cooking gas cylinders annually and 0.5 litre Nandini milk daily for all underprivileged families, and Atal Ahaar Kendra in every ward.

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Basavaraj Bommai said the manifesto was made considering the all-round development of the state and the ‘Sabka sath, sabka vikas’ vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. BJP chief Nadda highlighted the benefits of a double-engine government and spoke about the party’s achievements and ambitions.

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Here are some key poll promises of the BJP:

• The BJP will set up an ‘Atal Aahara Kendra’ in every ward of every municipal corporation to provide affordable, quality, and healthy food across the state.

• The party will launch the ‘Poshana’ scheme through which every underprivileged household will receive half a litre of Nandini milk daily and 5 kg Shri Anna-siri dhanya through monthly ration kits.

• They will introduce the Visvesvaraya Vidya Yojana under which the state government will partner with eminent individuals and institutions for holistic upgradation of government schools to top-class standards.

• The party plans to launch the ‘Samanvaya’ scheme which will drive collaboration between SMEs and ITIs and generate a dynamic ecosystem of education and employment for talented young professionals.

• The national party will provide career support for aspirational youth by providing financial incentives for students to pursue coaching for IAS/KAS/Banking/Government Jobs.

• The party aims to strengthen the public healthcare infrastructure in the state through ‘Mission Swasthya Karnataka’ by establishing one Namma clinic, equipped with diagnostic facilities, in every ward of municipal corporations. They will also provide a free annual master health check-up for senior citizens.

• The party mulls developing Bengaluru for the next generation by designating it as ‘State Capital Region’, and executing a comprehensive, technology-led city development programme centered around ease of life, cohesive transportation networks and enabling ecosystems for making Bengaluru a global hub of digital innovation.

• They will transform Karnataka into a premier hub of electric vehicles, by setting up charging stations, supporting 1,000 startups, converting BMTC buses into fully electric buses, and creating an “EV City” on the outskirts of Bengaluru.

• The BJP has promised to set up a Rs 30,000 crore K-Agri Fund to establish micro-cold storage facilities, agro-processing units in all GPs, undertake modernisation and digitisation of APMCs, accelerate farm mechanisation, establish 5 new Agro-Industry clusters and 3 new FoodProcessing Parks, supported by a 1,000 strong FPO ecosystem.

• The party will allocate Rs 1,500 crore to develop the Kalyana Circuit, Banavasi Circuit, Parashurama Circuit, Kaveri Circuit and Ganagapura Corridor, to transform Karnataka into India’s most favoured tourist destination.

• The party wants to broaden the scope of the Production Linked Incentive Scheme by incorporating a comprehensive plan that encompasses logistics, industrial clusters, connectivity, and export facilities, generating 10 lakh manufacturing jobs ‘Beyond Bengaluru’.

• The BJP hopes to improve the ease of living of apartment dwellers in Bengaluru by constituting the Karnataka Residents’ Welfare Consultative Committee to reform the Karnataka Apartment Ownership Act,1972, and to modernise the grievance redressal mechanism.

• The party will implement the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) in Karnataka based on the recommendations given by a high-level committee that is to be constituted for the purpose.

• The party will provide three free cooking gas cylinders to all BPL families annually; one each during the months of Yugadi, Ganesh Chaturthi and Deepavali.

• The party will launch ‘Sarvarigu Suru Yojana’ under which the Revenue Department will distribute 10 lakh housing sites across the state to the homeless beneficiaries.

• The ruling party at the Centre will launch the “Onake Obavva Samajika Nyaya Nidhi” scheme through which we will provide a matching deposit up to ₹10,000 on 5 year fixed deposits made under the scheme by women of SC and ST households.

In the 2018 election manifesto, the BJP touched every section of society. The party had also included cow protection measures in its manifesto.

Meanwhile, Congress has also promised a number of guarantees to the people of Karnataka ahead of the state Assembly polls, including 200 units of free electricity and schemes for women.