Congress Manifesto 2024: Caste Census, 50% Quota For Women In Govt Jobs — Silent On OPS And EVMs
Congress Manifesto Highlights: The manifesto incorporated promises like the scrapping of the PMLA, Angel Tax, and the passage of a law to cap the collection of cess as a percentage of tax revenues.
Congress Manifesto Highlights: The Congress party ditched two of its strong issues in its manifesto that it announced on Friday. The party junked its promise for the Old Pension System, and the demand to replace EVMS with the paper ballot. The manifesto incorporated promises like the scrapping of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002, the removal of the Angel Tax, and the passage of a law to cap the collection of cess as a percentage of tax revenues.
As the grand old party unveiled its manifesto today, here are a few key takeaways from the manifesto:
Caste Census, Pension, Youth Stipend: Congress's Big Poll Promises
The Congress party in its manifesto said that it conduct a nationwide Socio-Economic and Caste Census to enumerate the castes and sub-castes and their socio-economic conditions. The party said it will pass a constitutional amendment to raise the 50 per cent cap on reservations for SC, ST, and OBC.
The other major poll promises are as follows:
– Reservation in private educational institutions
– Senior citizens, disabled, and widows will get a pension of rupees one thousand per month
– Cashless insurance for free treatment up to Rs 25 lakh
– Recruitment for 30 lakh vacant posts in the Central Government. Apart from that, the party promised that it would provide individuals aged 25 years one lakh rupees per year as an apprentice for training for one year after completing their respective degree.
– Agneepath scheme will be closed
– Fast track court, compensation in paper leak cases
– One lakh annually in the name of elderly woman/man of every poor family
– 50 per cent reservation for women in government jobs
– MSP Guarantee Law as per the recommendation of the Swaminathan Commission
– MNREGA wages Rs 400
READ | Congress Manifesto 2024: Party Promises 'Justice', 25 'Guarantees' Ahead Of Lok Sabha Elections
OPS, EVMs Dropped From List
The grand old party dropped one of its strong poll pitches, the promise of reinstatement of OPS, from its manifesto. It is to be noted that OPS has been a significant Congress promise in Assembly elections in the recent past.
The 2022 victory of the Congress in Himachal Pradesh has been widely attributed to the OPS promise. The party re-introduced the OPS in Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan, where it won in 2018. It did the same in Himachal. The decision was taken in the very first meeting of the cabinet chaired by Chief Minister Sukhvinder Sukhu.
Notably, the grand old party took a U-turn from its explicit demands of the return of the ballot paper system. However, the party has promised a change in the voting system by emphasising the adoption of VVPATs.
The party promised that if it is voted to power, it will ensure that voters will get to verify the VVPAT slips. It will also ensure a system where voters are given a physical copy of the printed VVPAT slip which after verification can be dropped into a box later.
"We promise not to interfere with personal choices of food and dress, to love and marry, and to travel and reside in any part of India. All laws and rules that interfere unreasonably with personal freedoms will be repealed... We promise to amend the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution and make defection (leaving the original party on which the MLA or MP was elected) an automatic disqualification of the membership in the Assembly or Parliament," Congress said in its manifesto.
Congress To Remove Angel Tax, Pass Of Cess Cap Law
The manifesto promised the removal of the Angel Tax. The tax was first introduced by the UPA government in 2012-13. The manifesto, which has been drafted by a committee chaired by former Finance Minister P Chidambaram, promised the scrutiny of the PM Cares fund and investigation into the electoral bonds scheme.
It further guaranteed the passage of a law to cap the collection of cess as a percentage of tax revenues. It is to be noted that cess has for long been a matter of concern between the Centre and states. The main issue with the law has been the fact that the amount collected is not shared with States and is used solely by the Centre. The grand old party promised cap collection of cess at 5 per cent of total tax revenues.
Congress Vows To Change PMLA, Broadcasting Legislations
The party vowed to scrap the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, of 2002. It is to be noted that the ambit of this law was initially widened by the Congress-led UPA government itself. The law was later strengthened by the Narendra Modi-led UPA government through significant amendments in 2015 and 2019.
The grand old party promised the withdrawal of contentious legislation like the Broadcasting Services (Regulation) Bill, of 2023. The party pledged to review the Digital Personal Data Protection Act.
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