TDP releases manifesto, to focus on poor

Telugu Desam Party (TDP) president N Chandrababu Naidu today released the party’s manifesto for the coming general elections, saying that eliminating economic inequalities and ensuring food and health security to the poor would top his priority, if voted to power.

The highlight of the 64-page manifesto is a cash transfer scheme, which envisages a monthly payment of Rs 2,000 for the poorest of the poor, Rs 1,500 for the poor and Rs 1,000 for the middle-class families. Electronic cash cards would be issued to a woman member of a family to enable her to draw money from ATMs.

Taking a cue from the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) in neighbouring Tamil Nadu, the TDP supremo said that colour television sets would be provided to all poor households. This apart, all these families would be supplied power free of cost.

The other promises made in the manifesto include a comprehensive health policy aimed at providing free treatment for all ailments, creation of 1,250 modern development corridors for generation of 2.5 million jobs and setting up a Rs 1,000-crore market intervention fund for farmers.

The party would also set up a Rs 500-crore ‘farmer protection fund’ for helping farmers affected by natural calamities, give a monthly unemployment allowance of Rs 1,000 to the youth and increase old-age pensions. It would create a corpus of Rs 5,000 crore and secure an additional Rs 5,000 crore from banks as loan for employment generation through industrial development. An agriculture development authority would also be set up for the benefit of farmers.

Leveling corruption charges on the ruling Congress government, the leader of the opposition said a legislation to check political corruption would be enacted if his party returned to power.

As the state would hold Assembly and general elections simultaneously, the TDP said it would put pressure on the Union government to safeguard the country’s sovereignty and independence, whenever necessary.