BJP manifesto 2019 highlights: From 0% interest in credit card till five years to pucca houses for all, key takeaways from 'Sankalp Patra'

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) launched its national election manifesto ‘Sankalp Patra’ ahead of the Lok Sabha polls on Monday in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP chief Amit Shah, Home Minister Rajanth Singh, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, social justice and empowerment minister Thawar Chand Gehlot and party’s national general secretary Ram Lal.

Singh, who is also the head of the BJP’s manifesto committee, presented before the public the party’s ‘vision document’ which entails 75 key points on which the party would look to deliver to mark the 75th year of Independence in 2022.

The manifesto, he said, was prepared in consultation with six crore people and therefore labelled as ‘Bharat Ke Mann Ki Baat’ — a pan India initiative undertaken by the party in January 2009. About 300 rallies, 2,000 meetings 100 group consultations and 7,700 suggestion boxes were used to piece together the document, the party announced. It said that social media was also used extensively to reach out to the people in the form of hundreds of local-level conversations, sabhas, grassroots communication via ‘Mann Ki Baat’ programmes and also weighed in the opinion of analysts and researchers in framing the manifesto.

Watch LIVE: BJP releases Sankalp Patra for Lok Sabha elections 2019. #BJPSankalpPatr2019 https://t.co/G7UJWfVIs5

— BJP (@BJP4India) April 8, 2019

Apart from Singh, 12 other people were part of the committee which had further sub-committees based on 12 categories it was divided into. Singh termed the manifesto as “visionary and practical” which will lead to the formation of a ’new India’. He said that with this vision, India aims to reach among the top-three economic superpowers and achieve high-speed development in the coming years. Singh said that the faith of people in Modi government has only risen and that he is confident that big changes will be made both in terms of policy and good governance, which would lead to the fulfilment of the aspirations of 130 crore Indians.

The manifesto, he said, has ensured people’s participation even in policy-making of the State and uses the work done in the last five years as its base. The manifesto, which is out on BJP’s official website, shows that the BJP government has handled the “crisis of credibility” well, Singh said.

Here is what Singh said are some of the main agendas of the BJP entailed in its manifesto now available to people:

1. The focus on nationalism, anti-terrorism (zero tolerance policy) and national security by stopping infiltrations

2. Bringing in a Uniform Civil Code (UCC)

3. The Citizenship Amendment Bill will be passed, however, all measures would be taken to ensure that the regional identity of various states is preserved

4. Ram Mandir- all possible solutions would be evaluated, want it to be constructed in an amicable environment

5. Reiterating the earlier commitment of doubling farmers’ income by 2022

6. 0% interest till five years on credit card loans worth Rs 1 lakh

7. Focus on rural development: Rs 25 lakh crore to be spent in five years

8. While under the Kisan Sammann Nidhi Yojna earlier Rs 6,000 per year were given to farmers having less than 2 hectares of land, it will now be extended to all farmers

9. Small and marginal farmers will get a pension after 60 years of age

10. A “very effective” commission for traders and businessmen – ‘Rashtriya Vyapari Aayog’

11. A pension after 60 years of age for small shopkeepers as well

12. Ending regional imbalance through inclusive development

13. Discussion and aim for consensus on simultaneous elections to bring down expenditure on poll spending

14. ‘Good governance’- Structural, procedural and systematic reforms

15. Carrying forward the Direct Benefit Transfer Scheme to allow direct money transfer to widows (pension), subsidies etc (Rs 1,10,000 crore were saved by eliminating middlemen)

16. Bond and functional efficiency between state and central governments to be strengthened

17. ‘Krishi Sinchai Yojna’- all irrigation projects to be completed at the earliest

18. Land record digitisation

19. No. of seats to be increased in management institutes, ’excellent’ engineering colleges and law institutes and colleges

20. Infrastructure: Pucca houses for all, LPG gas cylinders for all poor families

21. 100% electrification in every village, power for all

22. Construction of toilets, drinking water facility in all houses

23. Length of national highways to be doubled

24. Open Defection Free (OFD+, ODF2+) levels to be achieved

25. Waste, energy management

26. Electrification of all railway tracks, to be converted to broad gauge lines

27. 1.5 lakh health and wellness centres under the Ayushman Bharat Scheme

28. 75 new medical colleges and post-graduate medical colleges

29. Diagnostic laboratories and other medical facilities at the doorstep

30. To reduce the trained doctor and population ratio to 1:1400

31. Elimination of malnutrition

32. Strengthening economy, economic development through systematic progress and overall financial growth

33. Improving India’s rank in the ‘Ease of Doing Business index’

34. Solving problems of MSME traders

35. Provision of banking facility within a radius of 5 kilometre

36. Digitisation and modernisation of judicial courts

37. increasing the number of digital transactions; all govt procedures to be digitised

38. Focus on immunisation programmes

39. Inspection and evaluation of government buildings

40. Construction of memorials for Adivasi freedom fighters

41. Increase overall women participation in all sectors

42. Pass the Triple Talaq Bill

43. Achieve the ‘Swachh Ganga’ target by 2022

44. ‘Swadesh Darshan’- tourism programme

45. All museums to be digitised

Before announcing the party’s manifesto Shah said that during the five years of Modi’s leadership, the government worked for the welfare of the people and ensured all-round development of the nation stressing on Centre’s achievements in relation to national security and establishing India as a global superpower.

Shah said that he is confident that people once again lay their faith in BJP and help NDA form the central government as the Modi government has delivered on its promises and ensured that no scam takes place during its tenure.

Whereas, Jaitley called it the manifesto of a government which going to continue in power and which will expedite development. He said that his party’s manifesto has not been prepared with a “tukde-tukde” or “ivy league” mindset but, with a strong nationalist vision after detailed consultation across the country, and it is rooted in Indian reality. It has the credibility to offer a roadmap for the future, he remarked.

Swaraj, on the hand, said that under Modi’s leadership the sovereignty and national security of the country has been protected like never before and that people believe in his government and its policy-based governance which has lead to the nation’s development. She said that today the world recognises India’s power and ability to deliver.

At the end of the programme at BJP’s headquarters in Delhi, Modi himself, commenting on the manifesto said , “It is also our resolution letter, a good governance letter. Our resolution letter is a letter of protection for the nation. Our resolution letter is also a letter of prosperity to the nation.”