The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) released their joint manifesto on Tuesday ahead of the Punjab polls. The top leadership of both parties released it at an event in Chandigarh. However, Sukhbir Singh Badal, the leader of SAD, was quick to take a dig at other parties when he said, “Political parties announce so much but always fail to deliver.”
In its manifesto, the party has made several promises on the lines of raise in old-age pensions, medical insurance, and flying academies.
What are the key features?
The manifesto promises to push for the arts and sports sections in the state. It aims to focus on projects like flying academies, racecourses, film cities and cash prizes for Olympic medalists. Also, the alliance offers the betterment of the education system by focusing on new infrastructure for government schools and reservations for government school students and colleges, including the opening of new skill universities.
Another prominent feature of the manifesto is to include a revision of the pension scheme in the state.
- Old age pension would be raised to ₹3100 and the Shagun scheme of ₹ 75,000.
- Five lakh houses would be constructed for the poor with one lakh per year income.
- Mega schools for populations of 25,000.
- 75% quota in jobs for locals.
- A special subsidy for Solar energy would be provided to the state.
- The Thein Dam can be the country’s biggest tourism project.
- Life insurance, accident insurance, and pension schemes would be offered to accredited journalists.
- Other promises include 1 lakh houses per year for poor people in addition to ₹10 lakh medical insurance for a family.
- The two parties reiterated that health and education would remain the primary focus of the alliance.
New schools, flying academies and racecourses
- A student card scheme would be implemented to provide ₹ 10 lakh to students for abroad studies.
- New government schools with a capacity of 5000 students would be constructed.
- It promises to introduce an act for providing 33% reservation for government school students in the colleges inside Punjab.
- The manifesto also says that skill university would be developed, and a department will be given to each sectoral company to train their students.
- It also promises at least three to four new flying academies and a brand new film city in Chandigarh, following suit the planned one for Noida.
- The manifesto also claims that an international employment ministry would be developed.
- It promises 400 units of electricity free of cost to Scheduled Caste(SC) and Other Backward Classes(OBC) families per month.
- It states to boost sports infrastructure and performance in the state, and the manifesto also promises a new racecourse in New Chandigarh for Marvadi horses.
- All Olympic medalists from the state would be awarded a cash sum of seven crores each.
The state assembly elections in Punjab are scheduled to be held in a single phase on February 20 for all 117 constituencies. The counting of votes will take place on March 10, 2022.
