Congress unveils ‘Haath Badlega Halaat’ manifesto

Srinagar, Sep 16: With just a day to go before the first phase of polling in the Jammu and Kashmir assembly elections, the Congress Monday launched its election manifesto, laying out an extensive roadmap for governance in J&K.

The manifesto ‘Haath Badlega Halaat’ (a helping hand will change circumstances), promises seven key measures aimed at restoring statehood to Jammu and Kashmir, rehabilitation of Kashmiri Pandits, and several welfare programmes focused on healthcare, employment, and farmer relief.

The manifesto was unveiled at the Congress office in Srinagar by All India Congress Committee (AICC) chief spokesman Pawan Khera and Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee (JKPCC) President Tariq Hameed Karra.

Describing the manifesto as a “people’s manifesto”, Khera said that it had been drafted after consultations with citizens across J&K.

One of the cornerstone promises in the manifesto is the restoration of statehood to Jammu and Kashmir, a move that the Congress believes would address the political aspirations of the people in J&K, which has seen significant changes since the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019.

In addition, the manifesto emphasises the rehabilitation of Kashmiri Pandits, ensuring the safe return of the displaced community to their homeland with adequate support.

“Kashmir was made the graveyard of hopes and dreams in the last 10 years. Keeping this in mind, our teams went to 22 districts and interacted with the youth, women, senior citizens, and businessmen. After speaking to all of them, this document (Congress’ election manifesto) has emerged. This is our guarantee and our promise. We will fulfil all of them,” Khera said during the launch event.

Aiming to improve healthcare access in Jammu and Kashmir, the Congress has pledged to provide every household with insurance coverage of up to Rs 25 lakh.

The party also promised to establish super speciality hospitals in every district to ensure that citizens have access to high-quality medical care closer to their homes.

Addressing the high levels of unemployment in J&K, the manifesto promises the creation of 1 lakh government jobs, with a job calendar to be issued within 30 days of assuming office.

To assist families struggling with food security, the Congress has committed to distributing 11 kg of ration per family member under a revised ration distribution scheme.

Additionally, an unemployment allowance of Rs 3500 per month for one year has been promised for qualified youth, aiming to alleviate financial pressures on young job seekers.

The Congress manifesto puts a strong emphasis on farmers, promising an insurance scheme to cover crops against natural calamities and fixing the minimum support price (MSP) for apples at Rs 72 per kg, which could provide significant relief to the apple growers of Kashmir.

Other agricultural promises include:

Rs 4000 additional financial support for landless, tenant, and land-owning farmers, 99-year leases for landless farmers cultivating state land and a Rs 2500 crore fund for district-level irrigation projects, to achieve 100 percent irrigation coverage for farmers in J&K.

To protect the rights and address the concerns of minority communities, Congress has promised to establish a minority commission for J&K within 100 days of coming to power.

The Congress has entered into a pre-poll alliance with the National Conference (NC) for the 90-member assembly elections, which are taking place for the first time since J&K was restructured as a Union Territory in 2019.

Under the seat-sharing agreement, the NC will contest 51 seats, while the Congress will contest 32 seats.

This partnership aims to consolidate votes against the BJP and other regional players.

Polling for the J&K Assembly will take place in three phases – on September 18, September 25, and October 1.

The election results will be declared on October 8.

The alliance between the Congress and the NC is expected to pose a significant challenge to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which is working to expand its influence in Kashmir.