#BJPManifesto: 20 Promises That Will Make India Shine

The Bhartiya Janata Party manifesto came better late than never. Released today, when two states of the country underwent first phase of election, the manifesto encompasses a wide range of issues and concerns regarding social and economic development of the country.

With developmental agendas coming to the fore and core party agendas taking back seat in its manifesto, BJP has proved that it is committed to put ‘India First’.

From the first page of the manifesto where party has put a pledge to build a modern India, to the last where it speaks of foreign relations and preserving cultural heritage, the BJP manifesto proves to be a progressive document which will ensure that India shines in the world map.

Here are 20 smart promises that BJP makes through its manifesto which, when implemented, will help the country and countrymen achieve success:

1. Agriculture: Evolving a single National Agriculture Market and setting up of agri-rail network catering to needs of perishable farm products.
2. Land acquisition: Implementation of National Land Use Policy, i.e. scientific acquisition of non-cultivable land.
3. Education: Public spending on education to be raised to 6% of GDP. Universalisation of secondary school education and skill development and establishment of national e-library. Implementation of national education policy.UGC to be restructured and transformed into higher education commission.
4. Youth and Employment: Encouraging and empowering youth for self employment and transforming employment exchanges into career centres. Developing high impact domains like labour intensive manufacturing, tourism, and strengthening traditional employment bases of agriculture and allied industry.
5. Economy: Setting up a Price Stabilisation Fund. Putting in place strict measures and special courts to stop hoarding and black marketing. Evolving further the PPP model into a People-Public-Private Partnership (PPPP).
6. Governance: Eliminating obsolete laws, regulations and administrative structures. Double the number of courts and judges in the sub-orinate judiciary. It also wants to extend fast-track courts to all layers of the judiciary. Networking of police stations and strengthening of investigations, making them swift, transparent and decisive.
7. Rural development: IT based jobs in rural and semi-urban areas. High-speed digital highways to unite the nation. Setting up of gas grids and national optical fibre network upto the village level.
8. Urban development: 100 new cities, along with twin cities and satellite towns.
9. Black Money: Bring back black money stashed in foreign accounts. Ensuring minimisation of black money and setting up of a task force for this purpose.
10. Corruption: Eliminating corruption through public awareness, e-governance, rationalisation and simplification of tax regime.
11. Jammu and Kashmir: Reiterating its stand on Article 370 and discussing with all stakeholders for abrogation of the Article. Return of Kashmiri Pandits to the land of their ancestors with full dignity and security. Greater decentralisation through smaller states. Pursuing an agenda of equal and rapid development of all three regions of Jammu and Kashmir – Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh.
12. North-East states: Special emphasis on improving connectivity in Northeast region. Massive infrastructure development in NE region.
13. Uniform Civil Code: BJP to draft a Uniform Civil Code drawing upon the best traditions and harmonising them with the modern times.
14. Environment: Launching a massive Clean Rivers Programme with people’s participation. Establishing Intellectual Property Right regime. Concept of pro-active carbon credit.
15. Foreign policy: Pursuing friendly relations with neighbours and at the same time not hesitate from taking strong stand when required.
16. Domestic and Border Security: Dealing with insurgency with a firm hand. Insulate intelligence agencies from political intervention and interference. Reviving the anti-terror mechanism which has been dismantled by the Congress and putting in place swift and fair trial of terror-related cases. Complete all pending fencing work along the India-Bangladesh and India-Myanmar border.
17. Defence capabilities: Strengthening DRDO and encourage private sector participation including FDI in selected defence industries. Independent strategic nuclear programme.
18. Infrastructure:Launching of diamond quadrilateral project of high-speed rail network (Bullet trains). Strengthening physical infrastructure with expediting work on freight and industrial corridors. Launching of 50 new tourist circuits for the development of tourism. Pacca house for every family and low cost housing programme.
19. Migrant population: Ensuring urgent steps for safety of migrant workers and communities from Northeast and other states.
20. Local governance: Strengthening self-governance and empowering Panchayati Raj institutions with devolution of functionaries and funds. Consolidating Gram Sabha institutions, involving people, in policy formation.

The manifesto contains many such progressive promises.

Meanwhile, the Congress party is calling it a ‘copy-cat’ manifesto claiming that the BJp has copied it from their manifesto and the Aam Aadmi Party is yet to say anything on it.

Whether the manifesto was able to catch popular imagination will be ascertained on May 16 when election results will come out.