NCP(SP) Manifesto: Rs 1 lakh/year dole to poor women & jobless youth, min wage hike

PUNE: The Nationalist Congress Party(SP) President Sharad Pawar here on Thursday released the party’s 2024 Election Manifesto with a slew of promises to attract the poor, women, farmers, the unemployed, the depressed sections of society and other backward groups for the ongoing Lok Sabha elections.

Sharad Pawar, along with state President Jayant Patil and other senior functionaries disclosed the salient aspects of the Manifesto which include an aid of Rs 1 lakh per year to a woman from all the poor families in the country under the Mahalakshmi Scheme, and help make crores of women as 'lakhpatis'.

A like amount shall be given as a stipend to the educated jobless youth, who will be provided free training and skilling in the government or private sector for a year and prepare them to take up jobs of their choice.

Similar to the INDIA bloc proposal, the NCP(SP) will also amend the laws to hike the quotas’ ceiling and provide for reservations to more categories, set up a special farmers’ commission to advise, streamline and recommend loan waivers to the peasantry, among other things, Pawar and Patil said.

The NCP(SP) also proposes to double the income of unorganised daily workers to at least Rs 400 per day, better sops for Anganwadi women workers, throwing open the government sector’s 30 lakh jobs currently lying vacant to the unemployed youth, and other assurances for various other sections of the populace if and after the INDIA bloc comes to power.

The NCP (SP) is contesting 10 of the state’s 48 LS constituencies, with many falling in the ‘tough fight’ category, along with support from the Maha Vikas Aghadi allies like Congress and Shiv Sena (UBT).

Last week, the Congress and SS(UBT) leaders indicated that if the need arises, they might issue an MVA’s joint manifesto in the coming days.