2009 -- India Election -

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<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->BJP's Election Manifesto Highlights
BJP’s Election Manifesto 2009
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY and HIGHLIGHTS
<b>PUTTING POOR FIRST</b>

1. All BPL families to get 35 kg of rice or wheat every month at Rs 2 per kg. This will be available against Food Coupons redeemable both at PDS and private outlets.
2. Ensure farm loans at a maximum interest rate of 4 percent.
3. Waive agricultural loans.
4. Introduce a Farm Income Insurance Scheme through which both price and produce will be insured
5. Irrigate 35 million hectares of additional farmland within 5 years.
6. Initiate special schemes for the urban poor, such as loans at 4 percent interest to poor vendors.
7. Set up a “Workers Bank” to provide a safety net for unorganized sector workers.
8. Revise minimum wages and ensure strict implementation of the Wages Act.

<b>ECONOMY GROWS, INDIA PROSPERS</b>

1. Generate employment through massive public spending on infrastructure projects. Complete the implementation of Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s dream projects: National Highway Development Project by building 15-20 km of new highways every day; and Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana, to link all villages with over 500 people by all-weather road.
2. Introduce schemes to encourage private industry and services sectors. Ensure a low tax, low interest rate regime.
3. Exempt personal Income Tax for those earning up to Rs 3 lakh per annum. For women and Senior Citizens, the exemption will be Rs 3.5 lakh per annum. This will benefit over 3.5 crore people.
4. Complete exemption for interest income on bank deposits for all other than corporates and those who have business income.
5. Scrap Fringe Benefit Tax (FBT), which is a source of harassment to employees and employers alike.
6. Abolish CST and fix a ceiling of 12-14 percent on GST.
7. Ensure watertight monitoring of regulatory bodies so that the public is secured from companies indulging in fraudulent practices in the stock markets.
8. Construct 10,00,000 housing for the poor units every year; kick-start the real estate sector that is suffering at present. Bring down interest on housing loans to make urban housing affordable.
9. Take firm steps to identify and retrieve Indian money stashed away in foreign banks. Estimated at Rs. 25 lakh crore-Rs. 75 lakh crore, getting this amount back through international cooperation will be enough to complete road and power connectivity throughout the country; ensure setting up of quality schools in all villages. This quantum of black money, if recovered, will amount to allocating Rs 4 crore to every Indian village to improve living conditions in the countryside.
10. Boost tourism sector: Identify 50 destinations and develop infrastructure, connectivity. Double foreign tourist arrivals in 5 years to help generate employment in hospitality industry.
11. Ban on foreign direct investment (FDI) in retail sector to help domestic retail trade.

<b>WAR AGAINST ENEMIES WITHIN AND WITHOUT</b>

1. BJP’s robust commitment to securing the nation against its enemies is well known. Our first priority will be to
take stern steps against terrorists, cross-border or home-grown. An improved POTA-type law will be introduced. The intelligence mechanism shall be overhauled. India ’s 4000-km long coastline will be fully protected by enhanced naval security.
2. We will systematically detect, detain and deport illegal immigrants who have emerged as a major source of
homegrown terror. Fencing of the India-Bangladesh border, deliberately neglected by the UPA in pursuit of vote bank politics, will be speedily completed.
3. Use coercive diplomacy to isolate and compel countries engaging in exporting terror across the border to stop their misadventure. Ensure that the foreign tap of separatist groups in India is completely turned off.
4. Wage a relentless war against Maoist groups throughout the country using the highly successful and popular Chhattisgarh model.
5. Introduce a comprehensive National Identity Card for all citizens of India .

<b>JAI JAWAN IN ACTION</b>

1. All members of the armed forces and the para-military shall be exempted from payment of Income Tax. This will benefit nearly 20 lakh people.
2. Take steps to set up a separate Pay Commission for the armed forces. Also revisit the existing pay structure to ensure a better deal.
3. Implement one-rank-one-pension.
4. Push State Governments to introduce better schemes for the rehabilitation of ex-servicemen and explore avenues for resettling them with gainful employment.

ENERGY SAVED, ENERGY GAINED:

1. Generate an additional 120,000 MW of electricity in 5 years through speedy conclusion of ongoing projects while sanctioning new power plants. 20% of this will be through harnessing non-conventional energy sources.
2. Reduce dependence on imported fossil fuels by promoting renewable energy options such as run-on-river electricity projects, solar, wind power and biomass.
3. Secure energy needs through aggressive diplomatic and commercial moves in oil-producing countries.

<b>WOMEN EMPOWERED, NATION STRENGTHENED</b>

1. Introduce the Madhya Pradesh BJP Government’s highly successful ‘Ladli Lakshmi’ Scheme throughout India
to directly transfer funds to the school going girl child to encourage education and secure economic selfsufficiency for young women. Rs. 1.18 lakh after completion of 12th standard.
2. Pave the way for nationwide implementation of the Bhamashah Scheme proposed by the erstwhile BJP Government in Rajasthan to directly pay Rs 1,500 to open a bank account for every adult woman, to be accessed by biometric cards usable through fingerprint.
3. Provide bicycles to every school going girl child from BPL families throughout India .
4. Introduce special schemes to promote entrepreneurship among rural women through Self-help Groups (SHGs).
5. BJP remains committed to bring about 33 percent reservation for women in legislatures and will endeavour to introduce it at the earliest.
6. Salaries of 28 lakh Anganwadi workers and helpers, who are the backbone of the Integrated Child Development Scheme (ICDS) will be doubled.
7. BJP believes all sections of Indian women cannot be fully empowered without the enactment of a Uniform Civil
Code as decreed in the Directive Principles of the Constitution and emphasized repeatedly by the Supreme
Court. The party remains committed to implementing such a code after discussions with all sections of opinion.

<b>YOUNG INDIA , NATION’S PILLAR</b>

1. UPA has nurtured despair, frustration and joblessness among India ’s young people who account for 50 percent of the population. BJP will regenerate hope through massive vocational training programmes and job creation schemes both in rural and urban areas.
2. A network of National Knowledge Incubation Centres will be set up throughout the country to identify and groom young talent for every sector of the economy.
3. Study loans will be made cheaper and more accessible by fixing student loan interest at 4%.
4. BJP will create 1.2 million IT-enabled jobs in rural areas. Computer prices will be drastically cut to make it affordable to every section. All educational institutions will have internet facilities within 5 years. Broadband connectivity to every village.
5. Special provisions will be made for SC/ST/OBC and other underprivileged sections of the youth for skill development with focus on web-based training.
6. Launch an aggressive project to groom young sporting talent by allocating Rs 5,000 crore for creation of sports infrastructure especially in educational institutions Appoint trained coaches; secure employment for international medal winners. Sport will be a compulsory subject in school curricula.

<b>NATION’S WEALTH, PEOPLE’S HEALTH</b>

1. BJP is committed to making the right to clean water a fundamental right. A massive programme will be launched to provide clean, drinking water to every citizen.
2. A regulatory authority to be set up for private hospitals and nursing homes to monitor unfair practices.
3. A comprehensive project to bring health-for-all by 2014.
4. Introduce a mandatory ‘Dial 108 for ambulance at your doorstep’ scheme throughout the country.
5. Revive the creation of new AIIMS, originally initiated by the NDA Government but neglected by UPA. All six state-of-the-art hospitals will be rapidly constructed over the next 5 years.
6. Janani Suraksha Yojana to care for delivering mothers and infants will be strengthened.
7. Investment will be made to promote alternative medicine such as Ayurveda, Yoga, Unani etc.
8. Population stabilization holds the key to India ’s prosperity. BJP will introduce schemes in consultation with different sections to expedite serious progress in this direction.

<b>PRIVILEGING THE UNDERPRIVILEGED:</b>

1. BJP is deeply committed to creating a society of equal opportunities with Justice for All as its credo. Its State
Governments have introduced a series of schemes for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Minorities – especially in education, job training, poverty alleviation and promotion of entrepreneurial talent. These schemes will be improved upon and the most successful among them replicated nationally. In addition, people living in backward regions, particularly in the North-East, inaccessible forests and hilly areas will be prioritized.
2. Education and Job quota will be introduced for economically backward sections of society other than SCs, STs
and OBCs, for whom reservations will continue.

<b>SENIOR CITIZENS:</b>

1. Recognising the importance of Senior Citizens in nation-building and inculcating civilisational values, BJP commits itself to reducing the age for receiving travel benefits from 65 to 60 years.
2. Complete tax exemption to senior citizens in respect of pension income.

<b>CREATING THE RIGHT ENVIRONMENT:</b>

1. Combating climate change and global warming through non-polluting technologies will be prioritized.
2. Importance given to programmes to arrest the melting of Himalayan glaciers from which most major rivers in North India originate.
3. Protect and promote forests and afforestation.
4. Take all appropriate steps to save Tiger, the National Animal, and safeguard critical habitants of all wildlife.Emphasis to be laid on protecting India ’s resplendent but endangered bio-diversity.

<b>DEFENDING THE CIVILISATION</b>

1. The BJP remains committed to the construction of a grand Ram Mandir at Ayodhya.
2. BJP will not allow anybody to touch the revered Ram Setu. We will evolve a new route for Sethu Samudram bypassing Ram Setu.
3. Cleaning the revered Ganga and other major rivers will be a priority. Local communities will be enrolled in this gigantic task.
4. Cow protection is an article of faith with BJP. This will be pursued relentlessly.
5. Full integration of the nation is not possible as long as Article 370 stays on the statute books. BJP remains steadfast in its belief that the provision must be removed to ensure Indian unity.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
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