Congress vows tax holidays

Assures UP voters of inclusive development, skill grooming programmes, 2 mn jobs in 5 years

Eager to end a political wilderness it has been facing in Uttar Pradesh for the past two decades, the Congress on Tuesday released its election manifesto promising to “resurrect” the country’s most populous state from “lawlessness” and “lack of economic development”.

Inclusive development is the key word in the party’s poll-time promise, as the manifesto spoke about bettering the state’s infrastructure. For instance, it would lay all-weather roads across the state. The manifesto guaranteed free education, but offered no bonanza — unlike the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Samajwadi Party that have promised free laptops/tablets and unemployment allowances.

Releasing the document here, Union minister Kapil Sibal, along with his Cabinet colleague Salman Khurshid, Pradesh Congress Committee chief Rita Bahuguna Joshi and the party’s technology posterboy Sam Pitroda, said the Congress would mandate 25 per cent government procurement from companies owned by members of Scheduled Castes/tribes, other backward castes and minorities. Besides, it would launch an industrial policy for public and private sector investment with special emphasis on MSME (micro, small and medium) entrepreneurs. If voted to power, the party would launch fiscal incentives and tax holidays to set up units and simplify tax administration. It promised promised to create two million jobs in the next five years, and start a major programme for skills development if voted to power. It would also set up 1,000 skill development centres through the proposed UP Skills and Employment Mission. To boost agriculture and allied sectors, the Congress would launch a UP Dairy Mission on the model of Amul, which helped India emerge as a leading milk producer.

It has also promised to institute a special election manifesto implementation cell in the chief minister’s office -- and release an annual report card to the people of the state. The party would set up 500 model schools, and fill up 1,00,000 teachers’ vacancies in the state. Also, it would open Mahila police stations in every district and post at least one woman cop in every police station.

The Congress had, a few days ago, launched a ‘Vision Document’ with broad contours of its plans to boost economic growth rate.

The manifesto lambasted the current Mayawati regime for “corruption, mis-governance, ill-efficiency and dismal fiscal prudence, which led to the state public debt touching Rs 2,00,000 crore”.