Announcing five promises — women’s empowerment, employment, rooting out corruption, eradication of drugs and ending power cut – the Congress today vowed to turn Meghalaya into a ‘five-star State’.
Ahead of the February 27 Assembly elections, State Congress president Vincent H. Pala, along with AICC general secretary in-charge of Meghalaya Manish Chatrath today released the party manifesto with the five poll promises.
The manifesto promised that direct transfer of Rs 3,000 per month to single BPL mothers raising their children alone is the party’s top commitment as this would give women financial independence and help them run their houses better.
“Rs 3000 a month translates to Rs 36,000 a year and is a substantial amount. This will help women pay the school fees of their children and tame inflation,” Pala told media persons here.
The Congress’ second commitment is to provide one job to all deserving candidates from every household in Meghalaya.
“Lack of decent employment opportunities in the State has fuelled the desperation among our youngsters and they are compelled to migrate to far-flung cities of Delhi, Mumbai or Kolkata to meet their basic needs,” Pala said.
“The Congress is committed to bring the youth of Meghalaya out of the situation of despondency and dejection,” he added.
Meanwhile, Chatrath hit out at the NPP-BJP government and said that the incumbent regime did nothing constructive to channelise the youth’s energy in the right direction.
“Large-scale unemployment among the youth made them gullible, while smuggling of all kinds of drugs from across the border worsened the situation,” Chatrath said, promising that Congress is committed to make Meghalaya a drugs-free State.
The party also promised uninterrupted electricity supply to all commercial and domestic users.
“Long power cuts have affected the production and revenue of the entrepreneurs in the State while it also had a negative impact on the learning and growth of kids who fail to study their courses in the dark,” Chatrath said.
He said that uninterrupted power supply would not only boost the State’s industrial growth, but also ensure all-round development.
The Congress, which ruled Meghalaya for many years earlier, is currently left with no MLAs in the outgoing Assembly.
For the upcoming Assembly polls, the Congress has fielded candidates for all the 60 seats.
The Assembly elections will be held on February 27, while the counting of votes will be taken up on March 2.
