By IANS,
Bangalore : The Congress party, which has already promised the poor families in Karnataka a colour TV each if voted to power in the elections to the state legislature in May, Thursday sought to woo minority votes by assuring implementation of the Sachar panel recommendations for their uplift.
The Sachar Commission, headed by retired chief justice of Delhi High Court Rajinder Sachar, recommended wide-ranging measures to improve social, economic and educational standards of the minority Muslim community in India.
The recommendations would be implemented in their true spirit if the party is voted to power, Karnataka Congress manifesto committee chairman and former railway minister C.K.Jaffer Sharief told reporters releasing the manifesto.
The manifesto for the three-phase May 10, 16 and 22 elections has promised farmers loans up to Rs 50,000 at three per cent per annum interest, a revolving fund of Rs 10 billion for farmers’ welfare, free electricity supply for irrigation pumpsets of ten HP capacity.
The party would provide 25 kg of food grain such as rice, wheat, jowar and ragi per family at Rs two per kg through the public distribution system (PDS).
Unemployed youth would get a stipend of Rs 1,200 a month for two years. It will be linked to skill training programmes to be arranged by the government, the Congress manifesto said.
The Bharatiya Janata Party, the major opponent of the Congress in the elections, also has promised freebies like free power supply to farmers, rice at Rs two a kg for the poor and cyber cafes at all villages.
Its manifesto released April 24 promised to build community halls in villages, which would be equipped with a colour TV set and a computer with internet connection.
The BJP has promised to categorise as ”extremely poor” the families with annual income of up to Rs 30,000, and as “poor” those with annual income up to Rs 60,000.