Maharashtra polls: NCP promises the moon in manifesto

Right from free laptops to farm insurance scheme, the party is leaving no stone unturned to woo the electorate; also assures scrapping of local body tax

After the Congress promised tablets for below-poverty-line students, its friend-turned-foe Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) offered to give free laptops to students who had cleared Class 12 examinations. Besides, the NCP promised smart classrooms in every school, special insurance scheme for farmers, insurance cover to all citizens, special ministry for other backward classes and a Rs 2,000-crore grant to Maulana Azad Minorities Development Corporation.

The NCP, which is contesting 280 of the 288 Assembly seats in Maharashtra, also promised to introduce pension for farmers and farm workers. The party is trying hard to shed its image as a pro-Maratha party.

The Sharad Pawar-led party, which has been under attack for involvement in a multi-crore irrigation scam, said if elected to power, it would make all efforts to mobilise Rs 80,000 crore required for the completion of irrigation projects in the state. Besides, the party would ensure villagers' participation in the use of special funds for the maintenance and management of water conservation projects.

The manifesto, prepared by a committee led by the Assembly Speaker Dilip Walse-Patil, was released on Thursday by state NCP chief Sunil Tatkare and former Home Minister R R Patil. Tatkare said the irrigation potential of the state had increased five per cent and not mere 0.1 per cent during 1999-2010.

The NCP, which tries to cash in on Sharad Pawar's performance as Union agriculture minister in the previous UPA government, would give grants to small farmers to purchase farm implements and set up agri-processing units.

The NCP, which takes credit for making Maharashtra almost outage-free, promised power on demand to all citizens.

According to the manifesto, the party would do away with local body tax. The party would put in place a single-window clearance scheme for industries.  A separate board will be formed for farmers engaged in sugarcane cutting and social security scheme will be launched for the unorganised sector.

The NCP, taking the Shiv Sena and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena head on, assured north Indians residing in the state of its support.. NCP, which lacks sizeable presence in Greater Mumbai and neghbouring areas, has assured time-bound implementation of various infrastructure projects worth Rs 75,000 crores.