The Congress party on Sunday, November 5, unveiled its manifesto for the
upcoming Chhattisgarh assembly elections. The manifesto, titled "Bharose ka Ghoshna Patra 2023-28," was introduced at six different locations in the state, including Raipur, Rajnandgaon, Jagdalpur, Bilaspur, Ambikapur and Kawardha. The announcement came just two days before the first phase of the two-phased state polls.
Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel presented the manifesto in Rajnandgaon, while the party's state in-charge, Kumari Selja, and Deputy Chief Minister TS Singh Deo revealed it in the state capital, Raipur, and Ambikapur, respectively.
Here's what the Congress has promised in Chhattisgarh:
# Loan waiver for farmers
# Caste census to "ensure justice"
# Increase in paddy procurement from 15 to 20 quintals per acre
# Free education from kindergarten to post-graduation
# ₹3,200 per quintal for paddy for farmers
# Input subsidy under the Rajiv Gandhi Nyay Yojna to paddy cultivators
# Provisions for wood used in funeral pyres in urban areas
# Increase in reward rate for Tendu leaf collections from ₹4,000 per standard stack to ₹6,000
# Additional bonus of ₹4,000 for Tendu leaf collectors
# Launched "Mahtari Nyay Yojana" to provide women with a subsidy of ₹500 per cooking gas cylinder, directly deposited into their bank accounts, regardless of income
# Continuing existing schemes
# Farm loans, Self Help Group loans, and those availed by women under the Saksham Yojna to be waived
# Housing for 17.5 lakh impoverished families
# Increase financial aid under the Rajiv Gandhi Bhoomihin Kisan Nyay Yojna from ₹7,000 to ₹10,000 per year
# Dr Khubchand Baghel Health Assistance Scheme to extend free treatment up to ₹10 lakh for the underprivileged
# Up to ₹5 lakh for those in the APL category
# Purchase Tivara (a type of lentil) from farmers at support price
# Waiver on outstanding motor vehicle taxes and penalties amounting to ₹726 crore for more than 6,600 vehicle owners associated with the transport business
Meanwhile, senior BJP leader and former chief minister Raman Singh criticised the Congress' manifesto as a "document of lies." He contended that there was no need to release it, as none of the promises made in the 2018 manifesto had been fulfilled.
Singh also accused Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel of engaging in anti-people activities in the last five years. He also pointed out discrepancies in the paddy procurement rates between the Congress and BJP manifestos.
