The Election Manifesto of Congress for the Lok Sabha polls 2024 makes a host of promises for the reserved categories. Reserved communities were a central theme of Rahul Gandhi's Bharat Jodo Yatra 2.0, or Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra. The party's push for the OBC, SC and ST communities continued through its manifesto released on Friday.
Congress Manifesto Promises Social Justice
The Congress acknowledged caste discrimination as a reality. It also said that even after more than seven decades of Independence, the SC, ST and OBC communities "have not yet been able to catch up with the rest and are still left behind".
The Congress said that it will conduct a nationwide socio-economic and caste census to list all the castes and sub-castes to gauge their socio-economic conditions and take further action based on the findings.
The Congress has guaranteed to pass a constitutional amendment to raise the 50 per cent cap on reservations for people from the SC, ST, and OBC communities. "We will enhance institutional credit to SC and ST for home-building, starting businesses, and purchasing assets. Congress will establish an authority to monitor the distribution to the poor of government land and surplus land under the land ceiling Acts," the manifesto stated.
Congress Manifesto's Promise Of Reservation In Jobs
Among its 'guarantees' was that of a constitutional amendment to benefit the reserved categories. "The Congress guarantees that it will pass a constitutional amendment to raise the 50 per cent cap on reservations for Schedule Castes, Scheduled Tribes, and Other Backward Classes," the manifesto read.
The party has also promised a reservation of 10% in jobs for the Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) from all castes and communities. Further, the party has promised to fill "all the backlog vacancies in posts reserved for SC, ST and OBC within one year".
If it wins the Lok Sabha elections 2024, the Congress has assured to get rid of the system of contractual employment in regular government jobs and ensure regularisation of such appointments. The Congress has promised to end manual scavenging and provide every manual scavenger rehabilitation and re-skilling opportunities and a job with dignity. Simultaneously, the party will procure machines to clean sewers and septic tanks and remove human waste.
"The Prohibition of Manual Scavenging Act, 2013, will be strictly implemented and any person employing anyone for manual scavenging shall be punished. We will provide compensation of Rs 30 lakh to families of sanitation workers (safai karamcharis) deceased while at work," the party stated in its manifesto.
Congress Manifesto's Push For Reservation In Educational Institutions
Along with reservations in jobs, the Congress has promised to earmark 10 per cent of the seats in educational institutions for students from the EWS from all castes and communities. The Congress has also promised to bring in a law under Article 15 to provide for "reservation in private educational institutions for SC, ST and OBC students".
In order to boost education opportunities, the Congress Manifesto 2024 promises to double the funds for scholarships for OBC, SC, and ST students. "We will aid SC and ST students to study abroad and will double the number of scholarships for them to pursue a PhD," the manifesto read.
The party also has plans to establish a network of residential schools for the poor, especially SC and ST students, and provide free education for children from nomadic and de-notified tribes.