SAD (Badal) releases party manifesto

Jalandhar, Feb 3: The Shiromani Akali Dal (Badal) today released the party manifesto with a promise to curb price rise, solve problems of the unemployed youth, farmers and businessmen andto work for the betterment of life of the poor and downtrodden.

While releasing the manifesto here today, SAD president Prakash Singh Badal said the party is committed to a comprehensive economic recast with a vision of growth and development keeping in view the rural and urban poor of the state.

In a bid to attract all sections of the society, the party had not only committed for provision of wheat flour and pulses to poor at Rs 4 per kg and Rs 20 per kg respectively but also promised crop insurance to farmers, health insurance to their families, nominal interest based cooperative education loans to wards of farmers, dalits, people of backward classess and other poor sections.

The party also offered economic package on the lines of Himachal Pradesh to prevent flight of industries from the state besides attractive schemes for unemployed youths and state employees.

The manifesto also sought links for productivity with trade and industrial growth and outlined steps to promote food processing, textile designing and fashion technology through local processing and global marketing techniques. The part also promised a make and implement ''your policy approach'' for the trade and industry sector.

The party also promised to end ''systematic exploitation and neglect of dalits'' through a bold initiative to completely revolutionise the government and social appraoch to the down trodden and promised a number of welfare measures.

For the pleasure of employees, the party promised to reconstitute and expand its scope to include employees of corporation, boards and statutory authorities and 4-9-14 year promotion scheme for all employees.

The party also expressed a commitment for revolutionise the transport infrastrcuture by strengthening and upgrading road network. The feasibility for Metro Rail projects in Ludhiana and Amritsar for decongestion of traffic would also be studied, it promised.

With motto of quality education for all, the party promised to fill up of all vacant posts of teachers on urgent bassis, setting up of adarsh schools in every block, improving the quality of education at university levels by entering in collaboration with reputed foreign universities.

The party would also take steps for promotion of Punjabi language, culture and media.

The party is committed to bold initiatives to propel the state into higher orbit of global economy and unlash development potentials which would transform Punjab into a progressive welfare state, Mr Badal said.

UNI