Congress Manifesto 2014 Lok Sabha polls

8/12/2019 Congress Manifesto 2014 Lok Sabha polls

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Congress: The Only Choice 2

Congress or BJP 4

The UPA Report Card 6

Landmark Legislation: 2009-2014 8

Our Pledge: A 15 Point Agenda for Socio-economic and Political Transformation 10

The Detailed Action Plan 2014-2019 14

An Appeal

1. A New Future for the Hands that Build the Nation 14

2. Economic Growth 14

An Economic Roadmap for 2014-2019 15 The Indian National Congresss 100 Day Agenda for Growth 16 Accelerating Job Creation and Skill Development 173. Protecting the Interests of Labour 194. Right to Health 205. Empowering Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward Classes 216. Womens Empowerment and Protection of Children 247. Safeguarding Minorities 268. Youth and Student Agenda 27 Building the Best Education System in the World for our Students 28 Promoting Sports 29 Other Youth Issues 309. Rural Development and Panchayati Raj 3110. Agriculture and Farmer Welfare 3211. Accelerating Industrial and Manufacturing Growth 3412. Infrastructure 36 Transport 36 Energy 3713. Urban Development 3814. Housing 39

15. Environment 4016. Innovation, Information and Communication Technology 4117. Fighting Corruption 4318. Governance Reforms 43 Electoral Reforms 44 Legal and Judicial Reforms 44 Police Reforms 4419. Internal Security 4620. Defence and Welfare of Ex-Servicemen 4621. Foreign Policy 47

TABLE OF CONTENTSThe Indian Nat ional Congress has pioneered an entirely new way in whichpolitical party election manifestos are prepared. It is our rm belief that the

Indian National Congress Manifesto must reect the voice and aspirations ofthe people and a new vision for the country.

There were several consulta tions he ld across the country over a ve-monthperiod (from October, 2013 to March, 2014) with different stakeholders, to

get their inputs on Indias future growth, development and inclusion agenda.The Congress Vice President Shri Rahul Gandhi participated in several of

these interactions including those with representatives from Scheduled Castes,Scheduled Tribes, Other Backward Classes, minorities, women organisations,

youth, labour, industry, Panchayat representatives, ex-servicemen, railwayporters, rickshaw pullers, salt-pan workers and farmers. In addition to this a

dedicated website (www.incmanifesto.in) was established to invite suggestionsfrom all citizens for the Manifesto. A separate website for the National Student

Manifesto was also created.

We received tens of thousands of suggestions through these consu ltations, onthe websites and social media platforms, phones, emails, etc. These suggestions

were care fully considered and have been included, wherever feas ible.

We believe this unique exercise has made the Manifesto inclusive and fullyreective of the voice of the people of India.

THE OPEN MANIFESTO PROCESS:PATHBREAKING POLITICAL REFORM


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The Indian National Congress has madeseminal contributions to Indias unity,integrity, secular polity and democraticfederalism. We have championed the rightsof the weaker sections, created conditions forfaster economic growth and have been theprincipal instrument of social and economicchange, the preferred political choice forcrores of women and men.

Our central values resonate the very idea ofIndia, that has come to us over the centuries,an India that rejoices in and celebratesits many diversities, and builds on thesediversities to strengthen the bonds of unitythrough secularism, pluralism, inclusion andsocial justice. This is the India thatMahatma Gandhi envisaged. Thisis the India for which our FreedomFighters gave their all. This is theIndia that the Indian NationalCongress has always dedicateditself to. Ours is the one Party witha history of a liberal philosophythat has enabled the country tobuild strong political and economicinstitutions and transform itself.

In the 1950s, the Indian NationalCongress put India on the path ofindustrialisation through the public sector,ensuring both rapid and balanced regional

growth across the face of our country.A massive infrastructure for science andtechnology was also established. In the 1960s,the Green Revolution was launched to makeIndia self-sufcient in food grains and a directassault on poverty. In the 1970s, further gainswere made through the Green Revolution anda White Revolution was unleashed that wasto make India the worlds largest producer ofmilk. In the 1980s, economic reforms werelaunched in response to new challenges, to

modernise the Indian economy and bringabout the information and conmunicationstechnology revolution. In the 1990s, radicaleconomic reforms were instituted leading toaccelerated economic growth and widespreadeconomic and social transformation. At the

turn of the mill ennium, we brought abouta Regime of Rights marking a paradigmshift in Indias politics and development.Beginning with the Right to Information,Right to Work (Mahatma Gandhi NationalRural Employment Guarantee Act), Right toEducation and the Right to Food, we havelaunched a radical progressive economic andsocial development discourse.

The depth and breadth of its political andadministrative experience makes the Indian

National Congress most intrinsically awareand closely associated with the beliefs, andprinciples and need of the people of India.We are the Par ty that has always believed inthe idealism and leadership abilities of theyouth. We have remained connected withtheir aspirations and have been inspired bytheir restless vibrancy.

Our vision is one of inclusive and sustainablegrowth fuelled by agricultural development,

regional balance, progress in backwardareas and a strong conviction that in orderto prosper every citizen must have theopportunity to evolve to the best of her orhis ability. Ours is a Nation of incredible butoften untapped talent that needs and deservesto be unleashed.

We envision an India where power wouldhave been devolved to the grassroots and tothe marginalized so that they can shape theirown destiny.

We envis ion an India charting a new futurerather than rewriting its past; living inharmony, not in turmoil; thriving in peace

rather than suffering in conict; imbued withhumility, not with arrogance.

We envision an India where the governmentserves the people rather than where peopleserve the government.

We believe in a simple universal truth: equityand opportunity for all.

The Indian National Congress is the onlyParty that believes that economic growth and

CONG RESSTHE ONL Y CHOICE

communal harmony, and economic growthand social justice, are two sides of the samecoin and must always go hand-in-hand.

The Indian National Congress is the onlyParty that combines experience and youth,wisdom and exuberance, achievement andambition.

The Indian National Congress seeks a renewedmandate on the strength of its heritage, itsrecord of service, both in and out of power,and its clear vision for the future.


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Since it formation, 128 years ago,the Indian National Congress hasspoken for every section of Indiansociety and has mirrored Indias unityin diversity.

The Indian National Congressssecular and liberal ethos has a placefor each and every Indian.

Ours is an inclusive vision.

The BJPs narrow and communal

perspective denies equality to all.Theirs is an exclusionary

doctrine.

The Indian National Congress stands

in sharp contrast to the divisive and

disruptive ideology of the BJP. We have

always been the secular and progressive

force in this country and strived to unite

all religions, castes and communities in the

ideological battle against those who would

polarize and divide our society.

Our democratic Constitution and

institutions are the cornerstone of Modern

India. All of us, who wish to build a better

India and rid the country of poverty and

corruption, must respect these institutions

and work through them. They are thelegitimate instruments in our hands.

No individual or authority can replace

the values and processes of democratic

governance.

Peace cannot be constructed on conict.

Societies cannot be built on injustice and

hatred.

CONGRE SS OR BJP Secular Liberal Nationalism vs Narrow-minded Communalism

Inclusive Democracy vs Divisive Authoritarianism

Aware of the chal lenges thrown up by the

undemocratic and exclusionary politics of

the BJP, particularly in the recent past, the

Indian National Congress is committed

to confronting these challenges with

determination.

We do not respond by subverting

democratic institutions and blocking

Parliament session after session, year after

year. We do not respond by turning people

against each other and lighting the res of

communal hatred. We do not respond by

proposing either that the structures of

democracy be handed to one single personor that they be viciously undermined.

The Indian National Congres s responds

through legitimate peaceful, democratic

and Constitutional means. These are the

pillars on which our great Nation stands. It

is for this reason that the Indian National

Congress is the only natural choice for the

people of India.


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It was the tireless campaign and visionof Sonia Gandhi, President of theIndian National Congress, that broughttogether and gave shape to the UnitedProgressive Alliance (UPA) headed byPrime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singhin May 2004.

The work of the Congress-led UPAgovernment was appreciated and the peopleof India gave us a renewed mandate, with alarger majority, in 2009.

Chairperson of the UPA, Sonia Gandhi, andPrime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh, has

translated into reality the pledges we made inMay 2009.

The 2009 Mandate was for socially inclusiveeconomic growth with a focus on jobs andlivelihoods, and social justice.

This has been achieved in substantial measure.

The 2009 Mandate was to take forward thecommitment made by our government in2004 promising A New Deal for Rural India .


The 2009 Mandate was to safeguard and advancethe interests of Indias farmers and create anenvironment conducive to their prosperity.


The 2009 Mandate was for empoweringthe poor and the marginalized, especiallyScheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, OtherBackward Classes, minorities and women.


The 2009 Mandate was to open the doors ofeducation and skills, and provide access to

immense opportunities they hold out for ourbiggest asset, our youth.


The 2009 Manda te was for maintaining peaceand security and for ghting the challengesthrown up by undemocratic, divisive andexclusionary political and social interests.


THE UPAREPORT CARD

The Congress-led UPA has brought 14crore people out of poverty in the lastten years. The rate of poverty declinehas tripled as compared to the precedingdecade. This is the greatest achievement ofthe UPA governments, and we are proudof it.

In the ten years of UPA-I and UPA-II,India achieved an average annual growth

rate of 7.5%. During the NDA tenure theaverage annual growth rate was 5.9%.

Today, we produce 263 million tonnes offood grains. Ten years ago, at the end ofthe NDA tenure its was 213 million tonnesof food grains.

Today, the installed power capacity is234,600 MW. Ten years ago, it was lessthan half a t 112,700 MW.

Today, the number of mobile subscribershas crossed 95 crore. Ten years ago, it wasa mere 3.36 crore subscribers. Telephonedensity in rural areas has increased 26times.

Today, coal production is 554 milliontonnes per year. Ten years ago, it was 361

million tonnes per year.

Today, we have 389,578 km of rural roadsunder the Pradhan Mantri Gram SadakYojana (PMGSY). This is more than 7times the 51,511 km of rural roads tenyears ago.

Today, the Cental Governments spendingon healthcare is Rs. 36,322 crore, 5 times

We let the record speak for itself.

more than the Rs. 7,248 crore it was tenyears ago.

Today, minorities have 43,52,000 bankaccounts in 121 districts of the country.The total volume of lending stands at Rs.66,500 crore. Ten years ago, minorities had14,15,000 bank accounts. The total volumeof lending was just Rs. 4,000 crore.

Today, 41,16,000 women Sel f-Help-Groups have been credit linked to banks.Ten years ago i t was only 9,71,182 .

Today, the total credit to small businessesstands in excess of Rs. 5,27,000 crore. Tenyears ago, credit to small businesses stoodat below Rs. 80,000 crore.

Today, the Central Governmentsexpenditure on education is Rs. 79,451crore. Ten years ago, it was Rs. 10,145crore.

Today, the total value of Indias internationaltrade stands at US $ 800 billion. Ten yearsago, it was US $ 142 billion.


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The Indian National Congress-led UPAgovernment has had an unmatched recordwhen i t comes to the passage of signicant,historic and pathbreaking legislation. TheIndian National Congress is a Party that takesits commitments to the people as sacred.The Party has worked to realise almost allthe promises made to the people in its earlierManifestos and campaigns:

1. The Indian National Congress ledthe charge to enact a unique andunprecedented law to safeguard foodsecurity for the poorest. The NationalFood Security Act marked the realisationof over a decade of work and has beenhailed as a visionarylaw by the people.

2. The seminal Right toFair Compensationand Transparency inLand Acquisition,Rehabilitation andResettlement Act,2013 - a key campaignpromise of theIndian National Congress in 2009 - wasenacted after two years of nationwideconsultations. This law was a historicvictory for our brothers and sistersworking in the agricul ture sector. The

law ensures that land cannot be acquiredwithout the land owners consent,promises up to four times the prevailingmarket value as compensation and repealsthe Land Acquisition Act of 1894.

3. The Indian National Congress led the wayin bringing about historic reform withregard to womens rights in the form ofthe Criminal Law (Amendment) Bill, 2013and the salutary Protection of Women

from Sexual Harassment at Workplace Act,2013. These laws made the system moresensitive to the challenges faced by ourwomen. Penalties have increased and newcrimes were included to make the denitionmore women friendly so that the law betterserves the interests of the aggrieved.

4. In a bid to bring greater clarity onthe subject, the Congress-led UPAGovernment enacted a new CompaniesAct, 2013. This new law, resul ting fromcomprehensive consultations with allstakeholders brings about radical changesthat will stimulate entrepreneurship,make it easier to start new businesses

and encourage Corporate SocialResponsibility.

5. Mindful that our Nations citizens, andparticularly our senior citizens, deserve

greater security with regard to theirpension funds, the Congress-led UPAGovernment enacted the Pension FundRegulatory and Development AuthorityAct, 2013, to establish a regulator toensure these funds are protected fromunscrupulous individuals.

6. The Indian National Congress has alwayslooked to the people for guidance inthe discharge of its duties. The Lokpal

and Lokayukta Act, 2013 was born outof a deter mination to give the peoplea strong, independent authority to actas a watchdog against administrativecorruption. This authority empowers thepeople by giving them a high-poweredforum to tackle corruption in thebureaucracy and the political system.

7. In one earliest actions on being re-elected,the Congress-led UPA governmentpassed the Right of Children to Free andCompulsory Education Act in 2009. Thislaw, which guarantees free educationin primary schools, also puts in place

provisions for minimum standards forthe establishment of new neighbourhoodschools.

8. The Indian National Congress, which

has been rmly dedicated to the causeof protecting our nations environmentand forests, enacted the National GreenTribunal Act, 2009 to establish a specialfast track court to hear disputes related tothese issues.

9. The Indian National Congress piloted andpassed the Street Vendors (Protection ofLivelihood & Regulation) Act, 2014. This

Act will protect livel ihood rights of lakhsof street vendors.

10. The Prohibition of Employmentas Manual Scavengers and theirRehabilitation Act, 2013 not onlyprescribes stringent punishment foremploying manual scavengers but alsohas provisions for rehabilitation of thesefamilies. An age-old blot on our societywill na lly be erased.

LANDMARK LEGISLATION:2009 2014


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1. We will endeavour to bring around two-thirds of our population the skilled handsthat build India into the middle class,through a package of basic rights for allworkers formal and informal, organizedand unorganized, regular and contractual.Our aim will be to provide them andall low-income families with economicsecurity and a minimum standard of livingto uplift their condition. The charter ofminimum socio-economic rights we willput in place includes:a. Right to Healthb. Right to Pensionc. Right to Homestead or Housingd. Right to Social Securitye. Right to Dignity and

humane workingconditions

f. Right to Entrepre-neurship that willprotect and assist allthose who seek tobecome entrepreneurs

These new rightswill supplement theother rights established under UPA-Iand UPA-II - Right to Food; Right toInformation; Right to Education; Right toEmployment; Rights to ght corruption(Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act as well as

Whistleblower Protection Act); Right toIdentity (Aadhaar) and the Right to directreceipt of welfa re benets (Aapka Paisa,Aapke Haath Direct Benets Transfers).Together, these rights will provide aneconomic platform for people below themiddle class to transform their lives andto transform India primarily through theirown effort, not through any handouts ofthe government.

2. To support the Right to Health, theIndian National Congress will increasehealth expenditure to 3% of GDP andprovide universal and quality health carefor all Indians (including free medicines).To support the right to homestead/housing, we will ensure affordable andquality housing for all. The Indira AwaasYojana and the Raj iv Awaas Yojana wi ll beexpanded to cover all poor rural and urbanhouseholds.

3. Continuing our record of delivering Indiashighest growth rates, we will restore Indiato 8% plus growth rate within 3 years:

a. We will ensure that India has a globallycompetitive business and investment-friendly environment.

b. We will continue to take rm actionto control ination even in a difcult

global economic scenario.c. We will promote an open and

competitive economy, open to globaland domestic competition.

d. Our vision is building India as the worldleader in manufacturing. We will ensurea 10% growth rate in the manufacturingsector with a special emphasis on smalland medium enterprises.

e. We will continue on the path of making

India a world leader in agriculturalproduction and agro-industry, takingadvantage of our national endowmentsand the genius of our farmers. Wewill focus on increasing agricul tureproductivity and farmer incomes byincreasing investments in irrigation,agricultural value chains, cold storageand warehousing, etc.

f. We will introduce the Goods andServices Tax Bills and a new DirectTax Code Bill in Parliament and ensurethey are enacted within one year.

g. We will ensure that the unpredictablerisk of retroactive taxation is avoided.

h. We will invest more than 1 trillion

dollars over the next decade onupgrading Indias power, transportand other development infrastructure.We will support more transparent,competitive and better-regulated Public

Private Partnerships for both hard andsoft infrastructure development.i. We will promote a more exible labour

policy as needed for maintainingcompetitiveness, while moving towardsinternational labour standards for ourworkers.

j. We will promote greater integrationwith the global economy and encourageForeign Direct Investment, especiallyin labour intensive sectors.

k. We will ensure that growth is sociallyresponsible, and comes from genuinevalue addition, not from stripping ournatural resources or from underpayingour labour.

l. We will ensure that all our towns andGram Panchayats are connected withhigh-speed broadband connectivitywithin 18 months.

m. Serious and systematic efforts havebeen made by the Congress-led UPAgovernment to track down and recoverblack money. This determined effortwill continue unabated. We will appointa Special Envoy to pursue this agenda.

4.We will provide skills-training to 10 crore youthand provide them withemployment opportunitiesover the next 5 years.

5.We will ensure that everycitizen has a bank accountwithin the next ve years.

6.We will implement theNational Youth Policy that sets a new visionfor leadership development amongst youthand for the development of spor ts. We willbring enhanced focus on education for ouryouth and our students.

a. We will expand higher educationopportunities with a focus on studentsfrom low-income families.

b. We will scale up skill development andtraining to open up new opportunitiesfor upward economic mobility for ourpeople.

c. We will open up our higher educationsystem to investment from Indiaand from abroad and bring the best

OUR PLEDGE:A 15 POINT AGENDA FOR SOCIOECONOMIC

AND POLITICAL TRANSFORMATION


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available knowledge and teaching toour youth.

d. We will move our focus from SarvaShiksha Abhiyan to Shreshth ShikshaAbhiyan, making quali ty the centreof our agenda

e. We will strengthen the implementationof the Right to Education, ensureuniversal enrolment in secondaryeducation, and reduce drop-out ratesin middle and secondary levels.

7. The protection of minorities is at thecore of the ethos of our country. TheCommunal Violence Bill, which wasdrafted and introduced by the IndianNational Congress,remains an importantcommitment. Wewill work towardsits enactment at the

earliest.

8. We will continue ourfocus on empowermentof women and ght fortheir security (suraksha),self-respect and dignity (samman), andequality (samanata).

a. We will ensure the passage of theWomens Reservation Bill.

b. We will initi ate immedia te action

to formulate a Citizens Charter forWomens Safety and Security. c. We will provide upto Rs 1 lakh as low

interest loans to women through Self-Help-Groups for livelihood activities.

9. We will enhance legal protection andresource allocation for the ScheduledCastes and Scheduled Tribes.

a. We will enact central legislation on

the Scheduled Castes and ScheduledTribes Sub Plans to ensure focusedspending of funds on weaker sections.

b. We will ensure the passag e of theScheduled Castes and ScheduledTribes (Prevention of Atrocities)Amendment Bill, 2013.

10. We will strongly protect the interestsof the Other Backward Classes,especially those amongst them that aremost deprived. We will establish a newcommission to inquire into the conditionof the most backward and marginalizedOther Backward Class communities whohave not adequately received the benets

of government programmes; and willrecommend corrective measures.

11. We will strengthen the legal andinstitutional framework to protect our

children. We will improve the workingconditions of Anganwadi and relatedworkers in whose care our nation entrustsour most precious asset our youngestcitizens.

12. We will give a major impetus toplanned urbanization, creating inclusivecities, revamping urban governance,empowering mayors, increasing low-

income housing and making largerinvestments in urban infrastructure,especially in multi-modal transport.

13. We will accelerate governance reformincluding legal, judicial and electoralreform, building on the momentum ofthe last few months.

a. We will enact the remaining anti-corruption and accountability billsthat were blocked by the opposition;

b. We will ensure the immediatepassage of The Right of Citizensfor Time Bound Delivery of Goodsand Services and Redressal of theirGrievances Bill, Prevention of

Bribery of Foreign Public Ofcialsand Ofcials of Public InternationalOrganisations Bill, Prevention ofCorruption (Amendment) Bill, ThePublic Procurement Bill, Judicial

Standards and Accountability Bill andthe Judicial Appointments Bill. c. We will implement a strategy for legal

and judicial reform that will enhancequality, responsiveness and timelinessof the judicial system.

d. We will ensure that therecommendations of the second

Administrative Reforms Commissionare implemented in letter and spirit

and monitored at every step. e. We will develop a consensus and bring

about legislative amendments towardseffective and meaningful electoralreforms.

14. We are committed to a series of speciclegislative, administrative and regulatorymeasures to protect our environment,an endowment entrusted to us for the

benet of future generations. We will setup a National Environmental Appraisaland Monitoring Authority (NEAMA),a professional agency to conductenvironmental appraisals in a time-boundand transparent manner.

15. The Indian NationalCongress believesmodernisation of

our defence forces is

imperative. The IndianNational Congress shallensure that the processof procuring the nest,and most state-of-the-art equipment iscarried out efciently

and transparently, while ensuring rapiddevelopment of our domestic defenceindustry. We will continue to protectand advance the interests of our defencepersonnel and ex-servicemen. We willcontinue to follow an unwavering pro-India foreign policy, enhance bilateralrelationships with our neighbours andfriendly nations, enhance commercialties and strive to mobilize support forpermanent membership in the UnitedNations Security Council.

OUR PLEDGE:A 15 POINT AGENDA FOR SOCIOECONOMIC

AND POLITICAL TRANSFORMATION


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1. A New Future forthe Hands that Buildthe Nation

It is because of the Indian National Congressthat employees in the organised sector havebeen fully protected through legislation andare entitled to social security in differentways. While organised sector employmentmust expand, the reality is that employmentin the unorganised sector contributes close to94% of Indias labour force.

In recent years, with the expansion ofemployment opportunities because of rapideconomic growth, this segment has expanded.In recognition ofthis, in 2008, theCongress-led UPAgovernment passedthe UnorganisedWorkers SocialSecurity Act, 2008.

The IndianNational Congressbelieves that it is time to scale up theseprogrammes across the country so that allworkers derive benets from both legisl ationand programmes in the next ve years. Toensure a basic rights and welfare packagefor all working people, the Indian National

Congress will ensure:1. Enforcement of Minimum Wage laws;

2. Provision of Pension cover;

3. Provision of life and disability cover,health and maternity benets freemedicine, old age protection, ProvidentFund, employment injury benet,housing, education schemes for children,and old age homes;

annum, compared to 5.9 % delivered by theNDA, even as poverty has declined three timesfaster. The growth under the Congress-ledUPA has been faster and more inclusive thanany earlier period in Indias history. And it isnot just the acceleration of growth that givesthe Indian National Congress satisfaction. Inkeeping with the long-standing tradition ofthe Indian National Congress, we have madethe growth process more socially inclusivethan it has ever been.

The UPA governments record on g rowth isunparalleled.

However, given the economic slowdownin the last few years, driven by the globalnancial crisis, bringing India back on trackto achieve 8% inclusive growth will be anoverriding priority of the next Congress-ledgovernment.

An Economic Roadmap for 2014-2019

The Finance Minister in his budget speechearlier this year has laid out a roadmap of tenimportant tasks to be undertaken by the nextgovernment. The Indian National Congressafrms its commitment to this roadmapwhich is ou tlined below:

i. Fiscal Consolidation: We will achieve thetarget of scal decit of 3 % of Gross

Domestic Product (GDP) by 2016-17,and remain below that level always.

ii. Current Account Decit: Our CurrentAccount Deci t can be nanced only byforeign investment, whether it is ForeignDirect Investment (FDI) or ForeignInstitutional Investors (FII) or ExternalCommercial Borrowing (ECB) or anyother kind of foreign inow. Hence,there is no room for any aversion toforeign investment.

iii. Price Stabili ty and Growth: In adeveloping economy we must accept thatwhen our aim is high growth there willbe a moderate level of ination. ReserveBank of India must strike a balance

between pricestability and growthwhile formulatingmonetary policy.iv. Infrastructure:We will rebuildour infrastructure

and add a hugequantity of newi n f r a s t r u c t u r e .

Every provenmodel must be adopted. The PublicPrivate Partnership (PPP) model must bemade more transparent and competitiveand more widely used. New nancingstructures will be created for long term

funds and pooling of investments.v. Manufacturing: We will focus onmanufacturing and especially onmanufacturing for export. We proposethat all taxes, Central and State, whichgo into an exported product shouldbe waived or rebated. We also proposethat there should be a minimum tariffprotection so that there is an incentive tomanufacture goods in India rather thanimport them into India.

4. Creation of a working environment thatenables all such workers to carry outwork without harassment. We will alsoensure humane working conditions;

5. Strengthening of collective bargaining;

6. Programmes for upgrading skills andincome including use of improvedtechnology.

2. Economic Growth

The Indian National Congress is committedto achieving 8 % growth per year, within3 years, to be sustained over the next twodecades.

The Indian National Congresss agenda isone of social and economic transformation.

Growth is essential for this transformation

to happen and for it to be truly meaningful.It is economic growth that creates jobs forour youth. It is economic growth that gives

us the resources to invest in our social welfareprogrammes and infrastructure development.The nature and quality of growth is equallyimportant to ensure that the gains of growthare equitably distributed.

Over the last ten years, the Congress-led UPAgovernments have pursued and deliveredrapid and inclusive economic growth. Wehave delivered economic growth of 7.5 % per

THE DETAILED ACTION PLAN2014 2019


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vi. Financial Sector Reforms: Therecommendations of the Financial

Sector Legislative Reforms Commissionthat require no change in legislation mustbe implemented immediately and, for theother recommendations, we must draw atimetable for passing legislation.

vii. Subsidies: Given the limited resources,and the many claims on the resources,

we must choose the subsidies that areabsolutely necessary and give them onlyto the absolutely deserving. We willalso consider introducing sensible usercharges because many more people arewilling to pay for better quality servic es,for example, uninterrupted power andbetter qualitytrain services.We will usethis moneysaved toexpand health,education and

infrastructure.

viii. Urb an is at io n:Our citieswill becomeungovernable, and perhaps unlivable, ifwe do not address the decay in our citi es.Cities have wealth, cities also createwealth. That wealth should be tapped forresources to rebuild the cities with a new

model of governance.ix. Skill Development: Skill developmentmust rank alongside secondary education,university education, total sanitation anduniversal health care in the priorities ofthe government.

x. Sharing responsibili ty between States andCentre: States have the scal space to bear areasonable proportion of the nancial costsof implementing agship programmes andmust willingly do so, so that the Central

government can allocate more resourcesfor subjects such as defence, railways,national highways and telecommunicationsthat are its exclusive responsibility.

The Indian National Congresss

100 Day Agenda for Growth

While the above presents a medium-termagenda for reform, the immediate priority isto ensure that the economy gets back on trackto the target of 8 % growth.

While consolidating on the announcementsand progress made over the last year, wecommit to implementing the following

agenda within 100 days of forming the nextgovernment:

1. Introduce the Goods and Services Tax(GST) Bills in Parliament and ensure they

are enacted within 1 year. GST is likely toincrease the aggregate revenue which willbe used to fund the extra investment ininfrastructure, health and education.

2. Ensure that we are on track to pass a newDirect Tax Code Bill in the rst year ofthe new Lok Sabha.

3. Announce a detailed Jobs Agenda toensure that we create 10 crore new jobs

and entrepreneurship opportunities forour youth.

4. Amend the Fiscal Responsibility andBudget Management (FRBM) Act tocodify a credible commitment of thegovernment to achieve scal decitof 3 % of GDP by 2016-17, and staybelow that always. Set up an independentNational Fiscal Responsibility Councilthat will submit an annual report tothe Parliament on the progress made inachieving our scal commitments.

5. Building on the success of the CabinetCommittee on Investment and the Project

Monitoring Group in clearing stalledinvestment proposals, set up a NationalInvestment Facilitation Authority, apermanent body headed by the PrimeMinister, and supported by a full-time

secretariat, with the explicit mandate ofidentifying delayed projects and resolvinginter-ministerial is sues to enable rapid andtransparent approvals to large projects,especially in the infrastructure sector.

6. Bring a Bill to set up a NationalEnvironmental Appraisal and MonitoringAuthority to conduct ri gorous and time-bound environmental appraisals and

recommend environmental clearanceswhere appropriate in a time-bound andtransparent manner.

7. Set up a Regulatory Reform Task Forcefor a review of all regulatory processesof central government ministries withthe intent of repealing unnecessaryprocesses, streamlining the regulatorystructures and improving ease of doingbusiness in India.

8. Put out a clear policy on tax treatment offoreign rms and Merger & Acquisitions(M & A) transactions while ensuringthat taxes are paid by multinational/

foreign entities inthe jurisdiction inwhich the protsare earned.

9. Lay out aclear roadmapfor dealing withimmediate issues

of public sectorbanks, including

recapitalisation, Non-Performing Assets(NPAs), operational autonomy, humanresource development and successionplanning in each bank.

10. Implement the recommendations ofthe Financial Sector Legislative ReformsCommission that require no changein legislation and lay out a timeline forpassing required legislation.

Accelerating Job Creation and Skill

Development

The landmark National ManufacturingPolicy of the UPA government brought the



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agenda of job creation and manufacturing ledgrowth on the policy landscape. This policyincorporates the agenda of creating 10 crorejobs in the manufacturing sector alone withinone decade.

Today, two-thirds of Indians, nearl y 80 croreIndians, are below 35 years of ag e. Gettingwell paying, decent jobs or entrepreneurshipopportunities as they enter working age, istheir number one priority. While a number ofsteps have been taken in this direction in thelast decade, this remains an overriding national

priority, requiring a lot more to be done. TheIndian National Congress will announce aJobs Agenda within 100 days of forming thegovernment. Thisagenda will includethe followingelements:

1. The IndianN a t i o n a l

Congress isc o m m i t t e d

to creation

of industrial

c o r r i d o r s

to catalyzeeconomic growth and give a focusedthrust to manufacturing in the country.

2. Create 100 new urban clusters aroundexisting small and emerging cities and link

them with power and transport facilitiesto scale existing economic activities.

3. Increase Indias investment rate to38 % to ensure more new investmentsare made to create jobs.

4. Improving Indias Ease of DoingBusiness ranking from the current 134to 75 within 5 years, by streamlining theprocess for starting a business, getting

various permits, easing access to credit,streamlining the tax enforcement system,and various other interventions.

5. Create an enhanced framework topromote exports. Waive off all taxes,Central and State, that go into exportedproducts. Put a minimum tariffprotection so that there is an incentive tomanufacture goods in India rather thanimport them.

6. The Congress-led UPA government,being fully aware of the importance ofskilling to increase employability set upthe National Skills Development Agency

to coordinate various disparate trainingefforts of different Central g overnmentministries, State governments, industry,etc. We commit to increasing theresources at its disposal and enhance itsmandate.

7. Reform the Apprentice Act, 1961, toencourage more rms to hire apprenticesin their rms, which has proven to be avery ef fective way of providing on-the-job training to new employees.

8. The Standard Training Assessment andReward (STAR) Scheme set up by theUPA government will be better funded

and a robust monitoring system will beput in place to track the manner in whichskills are imparted and certications givenat the ground level under this scheme.

9. Community colleges stand at thecrossroads of higher education and thereal world. We have begun a programmeto convert 200 existing educationalinstitutions into community colleges.This wil l be completed within 5 years.

10. The Indian National Congress is committedto the creation of new and upgradingof existing Industrial Training Institutes(ITIs). Recognising the need to have

quality world-class training methods andinfrastructure, we will introduce incentivesfor Public Private Partnership and engageworld class expertise to ensure our youthare best equipped to take on demanding

jobs in todays globalized world.

3. Protecting theInterests of Labour

The Indian National Congress will extendsocial security to the entire labour class, bothorganised and unorganised.

The Indian National Congress has stoodfor the cause and rights of labour. We have

enacted several laws to protect their interestsincluding the Unorganised Workers SocialSecurity Act. We will ensure the effectiveimplementations of all such laws.

1. The Indian National Congress will ensurehealth insurance as well as pension coverfor this group.

2. The Indian National Congress iscommitted to the strictest implementationof Contract Labour (Regulationand Abolition) Act of 1970, to end

exploitation of workers and to improvetheir welfare and working conditions.

3. We will focusspecially onlabour workingin hazardous

industries.

4. Aadhaar is

a powerful toolfor protectingthe interests of

migrant labour,as well as ensuring the smooth ow ofremittances to their families. All migrantlabour will be covered under the Aadhaarprogramme in the next one year, througha special campaign.

5. The special needs of labour working inplantations, particularly those relatingto housing, will be addressed throughongoing programmes.

6. The Unorganised Workers SocialSecurity Act, 2008 has been enacted; thiswill be implemented in l etter and spiri t.



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7. We will set up a Commission to explorethe possibility of bringing all LabourLaws under one comprehensive Law.

4. Right to Health

The Indian National Congress will increasehealth expenditure to 3% of GDP andprovide universal and quality health care forall Indians.

The Indian National Congress has endeavouredto provide quality public health services to all

citizens. Its forward-looking Schemes haveachieved great success. This is reected in thedecline in the Maternal Mortality Ratio andInfant Mortality Rate. The Janani SurakshaYojana, a schemestarted to encourageinstitutional deliveryhas achieved greatsuccess in increasingthe number ofbeneciaries from7.3 lakh in 2005-06,to nearly 113 lakhpregnant women in2010-11.

1. We were the rst party to implementdevelopment policies as human rights. Tostrengthen this framework, we now pledgeto enact a Right to Health to ensure thatall people obtain easily accessible, quality

health services, based on a combinationof publ ic provision and social insurance.The new National Health Mission willemphasize both rural and urban health care.

2. We will provide for 5 state of theart mobile health care vans in everydistrict, equipped with x-ray and otherequipment, to provide health care checkups including, mammography, bloodtests, etc.

3. The Indian National Congress willexpand the Rashtriya Swasthya BimaYojana to enable access to a continuumof comprehensive primary, secondaryand tertiary care.

4. The Indian National Congress commitsitself to increasing the InstitutionalDelivery Rate. Maternal and child healthcare will also continue to be a majorfocus. We aim to reduce the InfantMortality Rate and Maternal MortalityRatio drastically.

5. Almost 56% of adolescent girls in India areanaemic. Anaemia and malnutrition among

mothers endanger the mothers health andcauses growth retardation and vulnerabilityto diseases in children. This is not just asocio-economic challenge; it is a politicalchallenge to which the Indian National

Congress reafrms its commitment.

6. Almost 60% of open defecation in theworld takes place in India. Poor sanitationis a serious health hazard. We willendeavour to provide a functional toiletin every school and every household.

7. There has been a reduction of new HIVinfections in the country by 57%. Weaim to reduce this further and provide

comprehensive care and support to allpersons living with HIV/AIDS.

8. We will launch focused intervention toimprove the Child Sex Ratio, within anoverall National Strategy for Care andProtection of the Girl Child from birthto adolescence.

9. Health and Family Welfare Programmeswill be strengthened to achieve a TotalFertility Rate (TFR) of 2.1 between 2017and 2020. Particular attention will be paid

to regions which still have a high TFR(above 2.5).

10. Indias success in becoming polio-freethrough vaccination will be replicated.Our goal is to ensure universal coverageof routine immunization throughcampaigns and effective monitoring in

districts throughout the country.

11. To ensure effective implementation

of all health related initiatives, we

will work to streng then the primary

health workforce including Accredited

Social Health Activists (ASHAs),

Auxil iar y Nurse Midwives (ANMs),

Male Multipurpose Workers (MMWs),

Angan wadi Workers (AWWs) and

Community Health Officers etc. We

will work to fill the current vacanc ies

and improve their competencies

through nationwide capacity building

programmes linked to the National

Health Mission.

12. We will create 6o lakh new jobs in the

health sector by 2020 by training

and expanding the current teaching

programmes for healthcare professionals,

particularly in the public sectorinstitutions. We will start a three-year

Diploma Course in Public Health.

13. Primary health

care infrastructure

will be strengthened

right upto the point

of the community

health centre and

continuity of care

would be assured.

5. Empowering ScheduledCastes, Scheduled Tribes

and Other BackwardClasses

The Indian National Congress will continueto work towards the empowerment of themarginalis ed sections of society.

The principles of equity and inclusion havebeen weaved into the very fabric of theIndian National Congress. It is because of theinitiatives of the Indian National Congressthat the Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribesand Other Backward Classes have seen



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an improvement in key socio-economicindicators. In fact the annual rate of decl inefor poverty in the period between 200405and 200910 has been much higher thanbetween 1993-94 and 2004-05 for ScheduledCastes and Scheduled Tribes.

The Indian National Congress has enactedseveral laws for the weaker sections includingthe Manual Scavengers and their RehabilitationAct, 2013 to push for rehabilitation ofthese families. The Constitution (117thAmendment) Bill 2012 to provide reservationin promotions for Scheduled Castes andScheduled Tribes has been passed by the RajyaSabha. We will continue to ght the deep-seated prejudices,t r a d i t i o n a l

hierarchies and

disparities facedby these sections,socially, politicallyand economically.


Congress iscommitted to

nding a way forward for introducingreservation in education and employmentfor economically weaker sections of allcommunities without in any way affectingexisting reservations for Scheduled

Castes, Scheduled Tribes and OtherBackward Classes.

2. We now pledge to enact central legislationon the Scheduled Castes and ScheduledTribes Sub Plans so that the developmentof Scheduled Castes and ScheduledTribes can be accelerated to become atpar with other Castes.

3. The Indian National Congress willensure the passage of the ScheduledCastes and Scheduled Tribes (Preventionof Atrocities) Amendment Bill, 2013.

4. With a strong focus on education andvocational skills, we will endeavour toestablish one Navodaya Vidyalaya typeof school of high standards for weakersections, in every Block of the country.

5. We will continue to provide assistanceto fund the cost of education in bothprivate and government institutions forScheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribestudents, with priority to those students

whose parenta l income is le ss than Rs. 6lakh per annum.

6. All Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribestudents fullling the admission criteria

will be provided with universal a ccess tothe Rajiv Gandhi Research Fellowships.In addition, 1000 overseas scholarshipsfor eligible students will be providedannually.

7. Every Scheduled Caste or ScheduledTribe unemployed graduate or postgraduate will be provided with a SkillDevelopment Voucher of Rs. 10,000 to

pay for the appropriate skill developmentcourse.

8. The Indian National Congress has ensuredthe reservation of 4% of procurementfrom small and medium Scheduled Casteand Scheduled Tribe enterprises. Wewill push for strict implementation ofthis norm.

9. The Indian National Congress,recognizing that dalit women are moresocially and economically vulnerable, has

endeavored to work for their upliftmentand welfare and will continue to ensuredignity through economic and socialempowerment.

10. We will encourage and support ScheduledCaste and Scheduled Tribe entrepreneursby providing them easy access to creditand other incentives like tax rebates atthe initial stages of establishment of

their business etc.

11. We will focus on development activitiesfor creating social and economicopportunities for Scheduled Tribes. Wewill ensure the stringent implementationof PESA, 1996 and the Forest RightsAct, 2006 to ensure that ScheduledTribes are empowered and brought intothe mainstream.

12. The Indian National Congress iscommitted to creating national consensuson afrmative action for ScheduledCastes and Scheduled Tribes in theprivate sector.

13. We will take steps to ensure that allreserved posts are lled and a special drivewill be undertaken to l l all the backlogvacancies in reserved posts in governmentand Public Sector Undertakings.

14. The Indian National Congress is deeplycommitted to developing a NationalAction Plan for the Development ofScheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and

Other BackwardClasses. There shallbe a special survey,which will beundertaken onceevery ve yearsto estimate, onselect developmentindicators, the gapin the developmentof these groups.

15. The Indian National Congress willensure that the existing Rajiv GandhiNational Fellowship for Scheduled Casteand Scheduled Tribe Candidates will be

extended to students belonging to OtherBackward Classes.

16. The Indian National Congress willestablish Special Commissions forScheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribesand Other Backward Classes to identifycommunities within each group whichhave not beneted from reservations andother afrmative action programmes andwhich need to be given a speci al focus.



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6. Womens Empowermentand Protection ofChildren

The Indian National Congress will ensurethe safety and security of our women andchildren. We will provide them equal access tosocial, economic and political opportunities.

The Indian National Congress is a party thathas gone beyond the rhetoric and hyperbolerelied on by most parties when it comes to

the empowerment of women and children.The Indian National Congress has enactedseveral women and child oriented Acts,including the Criminal Law (Amendment)Bill, 2013, theSexual Harassmentof Women atWorkplace (Prevention,Prohibition andRedressal) Act, 2013,the Criminal Law(Amendment) Act,2013, Commissionfor Protection of

Child Rights Act,2005, and the Protection of Children fromSexual Offences Act, 2012. We have alsoensured that gender equality and child carefacilities are mainstreamed in governmentschemes like MGNREGA. We will continue

to work for the development our women andchildren.

1. The Indian National Congress will ensurethat all laws for the welfare of children

including the Child Labour (Prohibitionand Regulation) Act and the Protectionof Children from Sexual Offences Act,2012, will be strictly enforced.

2. We will further strengthen and expandthe scope of the National Commissionfor Protection of Child Rights, set up in2007.

3. We will also ensure that the strongestpossible action is taken to prevent childtrafcking.

4. The quality of the Integrated ChildDevelopment Scheme (ICDS)programme will be vastly improvedand special incentives will be given toAnganwadi workers.

5. The Indian National Congress iscommitted to the enactment of the

Womens Reservation Bill to reserve33 % of all seats in the Lok Sabha, and inall State legislative assemblies for women.

6. We will initiate immediate action toformulate a Citizens Charte r for WomensSafety and Security.

7. The Indian National Congress has placeda high premium on the education ofwomen. We will continue with this focus,to achieve gender parity in literacy.

8. Fast-Track Courts will be establishedwith in-camera proceedings faciliti esin State headquarters and in regionalcentres. The purpose of these Courtswill be solely to address crimes againstwomen. Mandatory procedure for therapid conclusion of cases where custodyof children is involved shall be put inplace.

9. We will increase the number of girlshostels, particularly in tribal areas andhostels for working women, with day care,to encourage women to become well-educated and earn their own livelihood.

10. We will ensure that all measures are takento make women feel safe and protected.We will expedite such measures as thecreation of functional helplines in allmajor towns and cities and rural areas for

prompt grievance redressal for women,exclusive 24-hour transport facilities andgender sensitivity classes for police menand women, particularly in registeringand investigating complaints made bywomen.

11. The Indian National Congress will openOne Stop Crisis Centres for women inall hospitals to provide medical, legal and

psycho-social aid in cases of rape anddomestic violence against women.

12. The Indian National Congress, true to itslong-standing history, will take measuresto enable increased participation andreservation for women at all levels withinthe government. We will ensure that atleast 25% of the total police ofcers, sub-inspectors and constables at every policestation in the country will be women,over the next ve years. We will ensurethe number of women police stations inthe country goes up from 500 to 2000 inthe next ve years.

13. The IndianNational Congresswill earmark atleast 30% of allfunds owinginto Panchayatsand Nagarpalikasfor developmentof women and

children and focus

on the specialneeds of female agricultural labour andwomen cultivators.

14. We will encourage the setting up ofPoorn Shakti Kendras at block level

to provide a single window mechanismfor awareness, information, access andutilisation of government schemes andprogrammes.

15. The Indian National Congress will provideland rights for women especially singlewomen, women-headed households,land for women whose husbands havemigrated away from villages.



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Building the Best Education System

in the World for our Students

The Indian National Congress has beenunequivocal in its emphasis and support forproviding affordable and quality education.We will continue to keep education on thevery top of our development agenda.

Education is the backbone of humandevelopment and is vital to ensuring equalsocial, political and economic opportunitiesfor all citizens. We enacted the Right to

Education Act 2009, which provides forfree and compulsory education for childrenbetween the ages of 6 and 14 years. As aresult, enrolmentof children at the

primary educationstage has nowreached near

universal levels.1.98 lakh primaryschools and 1.1

lakh upper primaryschools have beenconstructed. Under

UPA-I and UPA-II, the per capita public expenditure oneducation increased from Rs. 888 in 200405to Rs. 2,985 in 201112. Our focus will nowbe on improving the quality of educa tion- wewill move from Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan to

Shreshth Shiksha Abhiyan.

1. The Indian National Congress willstrengthen the implementation ofthe Right to Education Act to ensurequality learning outcomes, adequateinfrastructure and facilities in schools,regular teacher training and an optimalPupil Teacher Ratio. We will also ensurequality in teacher training by making

suitable investments and amendments toregulations, wherever required.

2. We will enhance focus and resourceson the implementation of the RashtriyaMadhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan, to improvequality of secondary education. We willachieve near universal enrolment insecondary education.

3. The Indian National Congress will placea special emphasis on reducing thedrop-out rate particularly in middle andsecondary levels.

4. We will establish an independentregulatory mechanism to overseeState and private institutions to ensurestandardisation and quality of education.

5. We will support regional and contextspecic curricula as well focus ondeveloping life skills including leadershipbuilding.

6. We are committed to the cause of specialeducation. We will strengthen facilitiesfor children with special needs anddisabilities. We will also award priority todeveloping infrastructure for differently-abled persons.

7. The Indian National Congress will takesystematic steps to address issues relatingto discrimination against students fromthe North East and Jammu and Kashmir.

8. We will continue to place a special focuson ensuring educational access to civilstrife affected areas and the North East

region.

9. To focus on higher education, welaunched the Rashtriya Uchhatar ShikshaAbhiyan (RUSA) to provide strategicfunding to improve college and universityinfrastructure. RUSA will help create 70new universities, provide infrastructure in

current universities, upgrade autonomouscolleges to Universities, and create a newmodel of general degree colleges andprofessional institutions.

10. The Indian National Congress will set upa National Commission for Students, abody which will protect and promote theinterests of students. This Commissionwill review Constitutional and legalsafeguards for students, recommendremedial legislative measures, facilitateredressal of g rievances and advisethe government on all policy mattersconcerning students.

11. The Indian National Congress willcontinue to expand its support toproviding interest-free educations loansto students at all levels especially to theweaker sections of society.

12. The Indian Nationa l Congress i scommited to exploring the possiblepartnerships with the private sector inthe delivery of education. New PublicPrivate Partnership models will beexplored and appropriate regulatorysystems, accreditation procedures,

policies and incentives will be developed,to enable private education providersto take on the challenge of expandingand improving secondary education, in

particular.

13. Indian NationalCongress willestablish a NationalYouth Commission,which will be aprofessional anddedicated focal

point for youthdevelopment in allaspects.

14. We will establish a centralised studentsexchange programme to encourageNational unity.

Promoting SportsThe Indian National Congress remainscommitted to ensuring that sportsopportunities are expanded and made moreavailable and accessible to the youth.

We will strive to be a Nation whe re spor t inall its forms is promoted and encouraged.

1. Due to the UPA-IIs recent efforts, Indiahas been reinstated as a member of the



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International Olympic Committee. TheIndian National Congress will continueto clean up sports administration. Wewill ensure active involvement of formersportspersons in sports administration.

2. The Rajiv Gandhi Khel Abhiyan launchedby the Congress-led UPA governmentwill be implemented to ensure highquality sporting facilities in every blockof the country.

3. A National Sports Education University

will be set up to educate students ofexceptional talent. There would be a teamof experts who would be continuouslyscouting fortalent in everysport acrossthe country inthe age-groupof 8-15 years.It will haveworld class

coaches and

facilities.

Other Youth Issues

The Indian National Congress will promotesocial inclusiveness, employability andentrepreneurship development among theyouth.

1. The Indian National Congress willprovide a special youth developmentpackage (entrepreneurship/employment)for Left-Wing Extremism affectedareas with special focus on women andScheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes.

2. We will start a special drive for recruitmentof Nort h East and Jammu & Kashmir

youth in Railways, Indian Army and otherCentral government departments.

3. The Indian National Congress remainscommitted to eradicating the problem ofdrug abuse. A nation-wide assessment ofthe prevalence of this problem will beundertaken. Funding will be adequatelyprovided for drug-rehabilitation centreswhich will be set up in each distri ct.

4. The National Service Scheme, launchedby the Congress-led UPA governmentfor graduates, aims to enhance IT literacy,nancial literacy, english communicationand other soft skills; to make the youth

more employable. The Indian NationalCongress is committed to increasingfunding and reach of this Scheme whileprioritising its implementation.

5. We will seek to ensure priority to

differently-abled youth with respect toeducation and employment opportunities.6. We will set up government run

employment exchange/ facilitationcenters for youth seeking foreignemployment opportunities. These willhelp curtail middlemen/fraudulentrecruiting agencies. The Ministry ofOverseas Indian Affairs will be the nodalagency for this.

9. Rural Development andPanchayati Raj

The Indian National Congress will continueto work progressively to ensure the prosperityof rural India.

In the ten years of UPA-I and UPA-II, the ruralareas of the country have seen unprecedentedeconomic development and improvement inquality of life. For the rst time in over twodecades, the increase in rural consumption, at18%, has outpaced urban consumption. Ruralpoverty declined at 0.7 percentage pointsper year between 1993-94 and 2004-05. Itdeclined more than three times faster at 2.3

percentage points per year in the UPA periodbetween 2004-05 and 2011-12.

Farm wages in real terms increasedimpressively after 2004 to reach Rs.184.7per day in 2012-13. Our agship and

historic programme, the Mahatma GandhiNational Rural Employment GuaranteeAct (MGNREGA) has been a signicantcontributor in this; on an average 1 in every4 rural households has sought work underMGNREGA every year.

1. All development functionaries at thevillage level who perform vital nation-building tasks like Anganwadi workers,Auxiliar y Nurse Midwives (ANMs),

Accredited Social Health Activist(ASHA) workers and various others,must have their contributions recognisedin a meaningful manner. The IndianNational Congress will ensure that theyare compensated adequately for theirservices and have access to high qualitytraining and decent working conditions.

2. The Indian National Congress fullled itspromise and implemented the NationalFood Security Act, a statutory guaranteeto ensure adequate quantity and qualityof food at affordable prices to peopleto live their life with dignity. The IndianNational Congress will attempt to

expand the focusof the current food

security Schemes toinclude subsidisedpulses and cookingoil for beneciariesof Antyodaya AnnaYojana.

3. The IndianNational Congress will implement aUniversal Pension Scheme, for the elderly,destitute, widows and other similargroups (based on certain exclusions).

4. We will expand the current Pradhan

Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY)to ensure that an all-weather road willconnect all habitations with a populationof 125 persons and above.

5. To promote effective access to cleandrinking water and water for irrigation,we will set up a legal and institutionalframework, in discussion and withconsensus of States, for water. We will



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also ensure 100% coverage of ruralhabitations for drinking water in the nextve years.

6. We will continue to support Self-Help-Groups (SHGs) and assist the poorto set up small businesses. We will setup more branches of the BharatiyaMahila Bank and women only branchesof other publi c sector banks. Ourtarget is to ensure the formation of7 crore SHGs by 2019.

7. The Indian National Congress will ensure100% modernisation and digitisation ofland records to ensure transparency inland titles.


Congress wills u b s t a n t i a l l yi n c r e a s e

P a n c h a y a tf u n d i n g ,especially ofuntied funds. Wewill also encourage Panchayats to raisetheir own resources so that Panchayatrepresentatives, in consultation with Gramand Ward Sabhas, can themselves decidehow and on what to spend their money.

9. We will set up a National PanchayatiRaj Commission, with branches in eachState and Union Territory, so that:a. Probity and transparency is ensured

in the functioning of Panchayats andtheir elected representatives;

b. Panchayati Raj functions in line withthe Constitution and the laws of theland, especially in tribal areas coveredby Panchayat Extension to ScheduledAreas Act (PESA) ;

c. Gram Sabhas are str engthened andlegally mandated to secure responsibleand responsive local government;

d. The individual citizen is empowered tosecure, through the local Panchayat,his or her rights and entitlements andother benets provided for in theConstitution.

10. Agriculture and FarmerWelfare

The Indian National Congress will continue

to provide an impetus to agricultural growth,productivity and incomes. We will also stayfocused on providing all possible support for

our farmers, in particular women and smalland marginal farmers.

The I ndian National Congress has institutedschemes like the Rashtriya Krishi Vikas

Yojana. As a result of these measures, theagriculture GDP growth went up from 2.6%(under the NDA) to 3.1% under UPA-I andfurther to 4% under UPA-II.

1. The historic decision by the Congress-led UPA government to allow ForeignDirect Investment in multibrand retailwill transform the agrarian economy asit will create a benecial value chain fromfarm-to-fork, creating rural infrastructurefor sorting, grading, packing, cold storage

facilities and ware housing. It will ensurethat the farmer gets a much higher valuefor her or his produce.

2. We will continue to nurture PublicPrivate Partnerships for increasinginvestments in value-chains, cold storagefacilities, grading and standardisation,quality certication and warehouses. Thiswill greatly aid in increasing agricul tureproductivity and exports.

3. We will add 1 crore hectares to irrigated

area by completing the radical WaterReforms Agenda of the 12th Plan, whichis based on Irrigation Management

Transfer to Water Users Associations offarmers. This will ensure Gross IrrigatedArea crosses 10 crore hecta res in India .

4. The current water use efciency in

irrigation is 40%. The Indian NationalCongress will actively support moreefcient water use technologies includingreuse and recycling of water. We willcomplete the historic aquifer-mappingand the groundwater managementprogramme launched by UPA-II overthe next ve years, to ensure sustainableutilisation of groundwater to securethe livelihoods of lakhs of our farmers,

particularly in regions where groundwaterdepletion has taken place.

5. Small and marginal farmers own morethan half the countrys total cattle andbuffalo. However, only 12% of the totalexpenditure on agriculture is on livestockdevelopment. The Indian NationalCongress will place a special emphasis onlivestock, sheries, opening of veterinaryschools and centres, fodder developmentthrough animal husbandry programmesand schemes like MGNREGA.MGNREGA will also be harnessed tosupport the construction of poultryshelters and water bodies for sheries.

6. The IndianNational Congresswill increase spendingto ensure access and

quality in agricultureeducation, includingincreasing theamount for and

number of post-matric scholarships

and research fellowships for veterinarystudents.

7. The Indian National Congress willincrease coverage of crop insurance

schemes, particularly among the smalland marginal farmers and non-loaneefarmers. Settlement of cla ims on time,better crop yield estimation to determinepremiums etc., and involvement ofprivate sector will be other areas of focus.

8. The Indian National Congress willallocate special funds for agriculturalresearch to develop new technologies



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for disease management of crops andlivestock, high-yielding-varieties ofcrops, etc.

9. The Indian National Congress willpromote resource conservationtechnologies and agriculture practiceslike integrated farming, organic farmingand develop wastelands for dry landfarming.

10. We will cover 250 lakh hectares aswatersheds, as part of the dramaticallyreformed Integrated WatershedManagement Programme launched byUPA-II.

11. There arelakhs offamilies in our

coastal beltsthat dependon shingfor their

livelihood. Toenhance their

welfare, a newMinistry of Fisheries will be establishedand all steps will be taken to furtherenhance their livelihood security.

12. The Indian National Congress,

honouring the commitment made in the2009 Manifesto, enacted the Right toFair Compensation and Transparencyin Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation andResettlement Act, 2013. The IndianNational Congress will ensure fast andfair implementation of the Act suchthat farmers, landowners and livelihoodlosers get adequate compensation fortheir acquired land.

13. The Indian National Congress has morethan doubled the Minimum SupportPrices (MSP) for farmers for wheat andpaddy from 2004-05 to 2013-14. The MSPfor other cereals increased three-fold. Wewill continue our endeavour to providehigher MSP to increase protability ofagriculture for our farmers.

14. The Indian National Congress willprovide concessional loans to groups/collectives of small and marginal farmersand women farmers upto Rs. 5 lakh toenable them to gain better access toinputs and services.

15. The Indian National Congress will striveto lower interest rates for farmers to

ensure they are able to access extensionservices and ag riculture inputs like seeds,water, fertil izers etc.

11. Accelerating Industrialand ManufacturingGrowh

The Indian National Congress commits to10% growth in manufacturing and an increasein contribution of manufacturing sectorsshare to 25% of GDP. We will also supportrapid acceleration in exports.

We are aware that the deceleration ininvestment in manufacturing has been aserious concern. We propose to take strongmeasures to promote the manufacturingindustry.

1. Utmost priority will be given to theimplementation of the NationalManufacturing Policy to enhance theshare of manufacturing in GDP to 25% by2022, which will be achieved by an annualgrowth rate for the sector in the range of12-14%. We are committed to creatingNational Investment ManufacturingZones as greeneld integrated industrialtownships to make India a manufacturinghub of the world. 16 new world-class

cities have already been notied acrossthe country.

2. The Indian National Congress iscommitted to the creation of industrial

corridors to catalyse economic growth andgive a focused thrust to manufacturing inthe country. The Delhi-Mumbai IndustrialCorridor has decisively moved into theimplementation phase. Conceptualplanning of the Bengaluru-MumbaiEconomic Corridor, Chennai-BengaluruIndustrial Corridor and Amritsar-KolkataIndustrial Corridor has been completedand work for implementation of theseCorridors will start soon.

3. Special emphasis will be given forenhancing the competitiveness ofmanufacturing. We will encourage theallotment of land from existing landbanks for priority sectors to provide animpetus to manufacturing.

4. A patent pool will be created which willensure that the Indian small and mediumenterprises are able to access world-classtechnology at affordable cost.

5. The Indian National Congress willintroduce the Goods and Services TaxBills and a new Direct Tax Code Bill inParliament and ensure they are enacted

within one year. Wewill also announce a

Jobs Agenda, wi th afocus on attractingnew investmentsfor job creation,within 100 daysof governmentformation.

6. We will endeavourto create a stable and predictablebusiness environment. We will ensurethat the interface between governmentand industry is simplied and will usherin comprehensive regulatory changes in

this regard. This will include optimisingthe use of electronic platforms andminimising human interface whereverpossible. Redundant procedures will beweeded out and the E-biz Project will beimplemented across the country, whichwill ensure single window electronicclearances platform for all investors,embracing in its fold all regulatoryapprovals of the Central and Stategovernments.



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7. The Indian National Congress willcontinue to pay special attention toindustries in the North East. It will alsowork to establish better connectivity,collection centres and market linkages forthese areas and provide special incentivesfor entrepreneurs from the region.

8. The Indian National Congress willcome out with a transparent policy fordevelopment of natural resources andhave a special purpose vehicle for this,

which will be responsible for judiciousallocation, striking a balance betweenpresent requirements and future demands.It will also ensure that an independentr e g u l a t o rmonitors the

process ofsuch allocation.


C o n g r e s sr e c o g n i z e sthe need

for creatingexibilities in the labour market,especially in the export-oriented industry,given the cyclical nature of demand. TheIndian National Congress is committedto protecting the interests of labour

through more progressive labour laws.

10. The policies to encourage foreign directinvestment pursued by the Congress-ledUPA Government ensured that Indiaremained amongst the top 3 investmentdestinations globally. Over the last 4years, India received foreign investmentof US$ 175 billion. The Indian NationalCongress is committed to sustaining aninvestment climate which is welcoming

and supportive of Foreign DirectInvestment.

11. The Indian National Congress willstrengthen multilateral trade systems andinvestment ows for future prosperity.The Congress-led UPA gover nment hasembarked on a path of greate r economicintegration. The trade in goods andservices has exceeded US$ 1 trillion andwe will ensure that this gets doubledwithin a pe riod of 5 years.

12. Infrastructure

The Indian National Congress is of the

rm belief that infrastructure will serve asthe backbone of Indias growth. We pledgeto spend $1 trillion on upgrading Indiasinfrastructure in the coming decade.

Transport

India is growing very rapidly and transportis a foundational pillar of that growth. TheIndian Railways is the worlds largest railnetwork and currently carries 822.4 crorepeople a year. During the UPA government,the total goods carried by the railways doubledto 1 billion tonnes. The Congress-led UPAgovernments have built or upgraded 17,394km of highways. There has been a ten-foldincrease in investment in road construction

in rural areas. We will continue to investin creating an extensive and world-classtransportation network which will connectpeople across the country.

1. The Indian National Congress will launcha National Road Transport SafetyProgramme. Road Accidents will behalved within ve years by strong willedpolitical commitment to this Programme.The Programme will make every possibleeffort to change the road safety culturewhile establishing clear road safety norms.

2. The Indian National Congress recognizesthat the Indian Railways is the lifeline ofthe Nation and is committed to railway

modernisation. We will ensure effectiveimplementation of the recommendationsof the Sam Pitroda Committee.

3. The Indian National Congress will ensure

that all million-plus cities are covered byHigh Speed Rail.

4. We have begun work on the Western andEastern Dedicated Freight Corridors,which will revolutionise freight, transpor tin India, making it more efcient. TheIndian National Congress is committedto ensuring these projects are completedin a time-bound manner.

5. We have over the last decade, used thePublic Private Partnership model to unveilworld-class airports in Delhi, Mumbai,Hyderabad and Bangalore and theAirports Authority of India has upgradedseveral others. As the demand for airtravel is increasing tremendously, we willupgrade and create new infrastructure forair travel across the country.

6. The Indian National Congress will ensureadequate funding and timely developmentof Regional Rapid Transit Systems.

The work of preparation of FeasibilityStudies of Regional Rapid Transit System(RRTS) corridors for the three prioritized

corridors: Delhi-Son ipat -Pan ipat ,D e l h i - G u r g a o n -Rewari-Alwar, Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut isalready being done.We will ensure theseare fast-tracked.

7. We are committedto investing inand upgrading the

logistics, infrastructure and developmentof the port sector in India. We willcontinue to work in this direction.

8. The Indian National Congress willemphasise development of Indias inland

waterways, which totals about 14,500 kmsin length, along with coastal shipping.We will work to set up ter minals at majorports and providing adequate road and railconnectivity to inland water and coastalterminals and non-major coastal ports.

Energy

Indias power generation capacity more thandoubled to 2.34 lakh MW over the past



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decade. To promote equitable and inclusiveaccess to energy, we have recently increasedthe number of subsidised cooking gascylinders per household to 12 per year. TheIndian National Congress will continue toenable the provision of clean, efcient andaffordable energy for all.

1. The Indian National Congress iscommitted to the establishment of aclearly dened policy for fair, transparentequitable and time bound developmentof natural resources. The Indian National

Congress will immediately put in place aSpecial Purpose Vehicle for this which willbe responsible for a judicious allocation,of resources on the basis of usage andnot arbitrarily,while strikinga balanceb e t w e e np r e s e n trequirementsand future

d e m a n d s .

We will alsoensure that an

independentregulator monitors the process of naturalresource allocation, in a manner that bestserves the interests of the Nation.

2. We will effectively implement the

National Mission on Energy Efciency toimprove energy efciency in all areas ofthe economy including power, transport,urban housing, consumer goods and inrural housing.

3. We will work to ensure greater access toelectricity; 100% access in urban fromcurrent 94% and 90% access in ruralareas from current 67.3% under the Rajiv

Gandhi Grameen Vidyutikaran Yojana(RGGVY).

4. We are mindful of the fact that whilewe have worked to increase access toelectricity, its availability remains anarea of concern. The Indian NationalCongress will work to improve the qualityand unit consumption of electricity inrural areas.

5. Women being the main energy usersand primary energy suppliers are worstaffected by restricted LPG supply. Therestill exists a strong disparity betweenurban and rural areas. We need to work

effectively to increase household accessto LPG and kerosene, especially theavailability to rural households.

6. We will give a new thrust to new and

renewable energy, including hydel, solarand nuclear energy.

7. We will ensure accelerated implementedof the Jawaharlal Nehru National SolarMission and launch a National WindEnergy Mission.

13. Urban Development

The Indian National Congress afrms its

commitment to creating inclusive cities,revamping urban governance, increasinglow-income housing, and making largeinvestments in infrastructure.

With the 74th Amendment to IndiasConstitution devolving power to urbanlocal bodies, and through the JawaharlalNehru National Urban Renewal Mission(JNNURM), we have given a major impetusto urban development in India.

30 crore Indians currently live in towns and

cities. Within 20-25 years, another 30 crorepeople will get added to this. Recognising thechallenges of urbani sation ahead, the Indian

National Congress is committed to adoptinga proactive approach to address them.

1. The Indian National Congress will ensurethat Mayors and Municipal Chairpersonshave fully functional powers, so that they

can operate as Chief Executives Ofcersof ci ties with executive powers andresponsibilities and not just ceremonialpositions. We will also increase the tenureof Mayors.

2. Urban constituencies are rapidly growingin population and the disparity betweenconstituencies is increasing. Thisundermines the principle of equality of

vote and also results in under-franchiseof urban areas. We will ensure this issueis revisited so that constituencies can beadjusted to reect population changes.

3. JNNURM was a landmark initiative

undertaken by the Congress-led

government; it put the urban agenda

centrestage with major investments in

urban infrastructure. We also launched

a revamped JNNURM-II with more

funding and more powers to local

governments. JNNURM-II is givingpriority to the strengthening of human and

institutional capabilities, local planning

and improvement

in governance. We

will continue to

implement this with

vigour and focus to

ensure better sewage

facilities, roads and

multi-modal public

transport.

14. Housing

The Indian National Congress will continueto work towards providing affordable andquality housing for all sections

1. The Indira Awaas Yojana will be expandedto cover all poor rural households.Financial assistance for this will include

money to not only construct a puccahouse but also individual sanitary toiletsand drinking water connections.

2. For urban areas, the Rajiv Awaas Yojanawill be expanded to cover all poor urbanhouseholds. The Scheme is expected to



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cover 250 cities by the end of the 2017.Funds have already been released to162 cities for undertaking preparatoryactivities under Slum Free City PlanningScheme. Our priority will be time-boundimplementation of this initiative.

3. We will endeavour to ensure a Right toHomestead for all poor households.

4. We will endeavour to ensure Title Deedsare given to those who have been livingon lands for more than two decades.

15. Environment

The IndianNational Congressis committed

to sustainabledevelopment in itstrue spirit. We willcontinue to accord

the highest priorityto environmentalprotection andto ensure that all

people in India have the right to a cleanenvironment, which secures their health,livelihood and nutritional well-being.The Indian National Congress has alwaysprioritised conservation of our nationalenvironment. It was Smt. Indira Gandhiwho raised the importance of this agendaas the only visiting Head of State at the UNConference on Human Environment, 1972.The Indian National Congress has enactedvarious laws for environmental protection,including the National Green Tribunal Act,2010.

1. The Indian National Congress will bringa Bill to set up a National EnvironmentalAppraisal and Monitoring Authority

(NEAMA) - a professional agencyto conduct rigorous and time-bound environmental appraisals andrecommend environmental clearances,where appropriate, in a time-bound andtransparent manner.

2. We will put water conservation at the heartof our programmes for agriculture, ruraland urban development. This will be doneby focusing all current programmes onaugmenting water through decentralizedsystems, conserving water through all

means and promoting recycling and reuseof water in all sectors. Water is a publicright, but also a public responsibility.

We believe that while pricing of watermust ensure that users internalise ethics

of conservation, it is also imperativethat it be sustainable and affordable.We will promote these principles in allour programmes for water and wastemanagement.

3. The Indian National Congress will takeup the cleaning of rivers on a largescale. The National Ganga River BasinAuthority has begun the ambitious taskof cleaning the Ganga River. We will usesimilar models of creating empowered,well-funded agencies to clean othermajor rivers in the country.

4. An overwhelming number of women,especially in rural India still use pollutingbiomass for cooking, which puts anunbearable health burden on them. TheIndian National Congress is committedto providing clean cooking fuel acrossthe country in an accelerated manner inorder to address this.

5. We will launch Green NationalAccounts by 2016-17, to ensure thatthe costs of environmental degr adationare clearly reected in Indias nationalaccounts. We will also develop indicatorsthat will provide data to the public on thestate of our natural resources.

6. We will engage tribal and forest-dwellingcommunities more centrally in forestmanagement, and ensure they getbenets from forest produce, includingbamboo and other non-timber forestproduce. We will ensure that revenuesfrom forest-based activities, includingfrom wildlife tourism, are shared withlocal communities. This will serve as abedrock for making forest conservationmore durable and effective.

7. We will continue to implement the variousmissions under the National Action Plan

on Climate Change with purpose anddetermination.

8. The Congress-led government launchedthe Jawaharlal Nehru National SolarMission under which we set the ambitioustarget of deploying 20,000 MW ofgrid connected solar power by 2022.We will ensure this target is met wellin advance.

9. We will also launch a major new NationalMission on Wind Energy to harnessthe power of this clean and renewablesource of energy, which has tremendous

untapped potential in India.10. India is one of the worlds mega

biodiverse countries. We will continueto give the highestpriority to protectingthis biodiversity.

11. We will continueto strongly advanceand protect Indiasinterests in inter-national climate and

other environmentalnegotiations.

16. Innovation,Information andCommunication

TechnologyThe Indian National Congress will give arenewed thrust to use of Information andCommunication Technology (ICT).

Under the Indian National Congresssleadership, the country is moving towardstransformation through Democratisation ofInformation. Efforts are underway to useICT tools to herald transparency, efciency,



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accountability and accessibility to create moreinclusive and responsive structures, whichare in tune with the needs of 21st centuryIndia. In elds such as agriculture, nancialservices, commerce, education and health,this ICT-led Democratisation of Infor mationis revolutionising service delivery, citizeninterface and accountability throughinnovative practices. New tools under thiswill be the bigges t game chan

Congress Manifesto 2014 Lok Sabha polls

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