MP: Cong manifesto promises caste census, women’s quota

Bhopal, Oct 17 Election-bound Madhya Pradesh’s principal-opposition Congress shifted gear from ‘battle speed’ to ‘ramming speed’ on Tuesday by releasing the manifesto that promises to conduct a caste census, continue the agrarian debt waiver scheme up to a ceiling of Rs 2 lakh each, provide 50 per cent reservation for women and 27 per cent for OBCs in government employment besides giving honoraria of Rs 1,500 per month to every woman.
The document was released here by the party’s state unit President and erstwhile chief minister Kamal Nath in the presence of a galaxy of leaders.
In the context of government-run academic institutions; every student from classes I to VIII will receive Rs 500 per month; those in the ninth and tenth standards Rs 1,000 each and the corresponding figure shall be Rs 1,500 each at the higher-secondary level.
Cooking gas cylinders will be supplied at Rs 500 each; 100 units of electricity shall be free of charge per consumer; bills will be halved vis-à-vis 200 units; the Old Pension Scheme to be implemented; 5 hp provided free for irrigation; pending power bills to be waived for peasants; Rs 2,600 to be paid per quintal of wheat and Rs 2,500 for paddy; 1,000 gaushalas to be constructed and unemployment allowances ranging from Rs 1,500 to Rs 3,000 to be paid for a maximum period of two years to educated unemployed youth.