Congress Unveils Ambitious Manifesto for Jammu and Kashmir Elections

The Congress released its manifesto for the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly elections, featuring welfare measures for farmers, women, and youth. Highlights include crop insurance, a minimum support price for apples, unemployment allowances, and health insurance. The manifesto was introduced by Pawan Khera and Tariq Hameed Karra.

On Monday, the Congress unveiled its comprehensive manifesto for the forthcoming Assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir, highlighting various welfare measures aimed at farmers, women, and youth.

The manifesto, titled 'Haath Badlega Halaat,' stands out for its promise of crop insurance against natural calamities and a minimum support price of Rs 72 per kilogram for apples. It was presented by AICC chief spokesperson Pawan Khera and PCC president Tariq Hameed Karra at the party office.

'We will provide an additional financial support of Rs 4,000 per year for landless, tenant, and land-owning farming households, and arrange 99-year leases for landless farmers cultivating state land,' Khera announced.

A significant commitment is the establishment of a Rs 2,500 crore fund to ensure 100 percent irrigation for farmers across all districts in Jammu and Kashmir.

The party has also pledged an unemployment allowance of up to Rs 3,500 per month for one year to qualified youths and aims to fill one lakh vacant government posts within 30 days. Additionally, it vows to revive special border recruitment for police, fire brigade, and forest protection forces, and ensure that 30 percent of construction work-related contracts are allotted to unemployed engineers' groups.

Khera emphasized the need to streamline verification processes for government jobs, passports, and other purposes. 'The aim is to make these processes time-bound and simplified to reduce undue harassment,' he noted.

Addressing the challenges faced by Jammu and Kashmir over the past decade, Khera stated, 'The heart of Jammu and Kashmir has been wounded and needs healing. Haath badlega Jammu aur Kashmir ke haalaat. The Congress aims to mend these wounds.'

The manifesto reiterates several promises made by Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge during his recent Union Territory visit. These include the Mahila Samman programme, offering Rs 3,000 monthly assistance to woman heads of families, and interest-free loans of Rs 5 lakh to women self-help groups. It also includes a health insurance scheme of Rs 25 lakh per family and the establishment of a minority commission within 100 days of coming to power.

Fulfilling former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's promise regarding the rehabilitation of Kashmiri Pandits also features among the commitments.

Khera accused the Union Territory administration of turning into a 'graveyard of dreams' over the past decade, stressing the manifesto was crafted with input from 20 district committees to address the populace's ground realities.

On the contentious issue of Article 370, Khera indicated that a committee would draft a common minimum programme for the INDIA bloc government in Jammu and Kashmir. 'Our stand on Article 370 is clear and reflected in the CWC resolution,' he affirmed.

(With inputs from agencies.)