The BJP released its Manifesto for 2014 Lok Sabha Elections at the party headquarters in Delhi, on the morning of 7th April. Senior leaders Shri L K Advani and Smt. Sushma Swaraj, NDA’s Prime Ministerial candidate Shri Narendra Modi and BJP President Shri Rajnath Singh were present during the release.
“Today, India is blessed with the rare capacity and opportunity of Democracy, Demography and Demand. If we are able to consolidate and harness them, we will be able to reach the heights which India deserves. The biggest reason for a sorry state of affairs is bad intentions on the part of those who have ruled the country for sixty years. And that is where we would show the first difference. For BJP, the goal of the policies and practices would be: Ek Bharat, Shreshtha Bharat! The path would be: Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas. This is our commitment to the Nation and to the People.
With this determination of the party under the charismatic leadership of Shri Narendra Modi, we enter the elections to the 16th Lok Sabha and would work whole-heartedly to give a stable, strong, visionary and progressive Government to India.” says Dr. (Prof.) Murli Manohar Joshi, Chairman, Manifesto Committee – 2014
Shri Narendra Modi said, “The Manifesto suitably captures the hopes and aspirations of the Nation.” An assurance of the Party’s commitment towards fulfilling every word mentioned in the Manifesto was given by Shri Modi when he asserted how the document was not an election ritual for the BJP but the direction for its efforts and the focus towards achieving the Party’s goal of ‘Ek Bharat, Shreshtha Bharat’.
Kidsfreesouls take a look at fifteen major aspects of the manifesto and measures that BJP has proposed :
1) Price rise: BJP proposes to lower inflation by taking steps such as; special Courts to stop hoarding and black marketing, setting up a Price Stabilisation Fund, evolving a single ‘National Agriculture Market, leveraging on technology to disseminate real time data, area specific crops and vegetables linked to food habits of the people.
2) Employment and Entrepreneurship: BJP has said that it would accord high priority to job creation and opportunities for entrepreneurship. For the same, it has talked about steps such as labour-intensive manufacturing, focus on traditional employment bases of agriculture, upgradation of infrastructure and housing, steps for self-employment opportunities.
3) Corruption: BJP specifically mentions to eliminate the scope of corruption, it will emphasise on technology enabled e-Governance. Apart from that public awareness, policy-driven governance and simplification of the tax regime have also been cited as solutions to the problem of corruption.
4) Centre-State Relations: One salient point of the BJP manifesto is making centre-state relations smoother. For this, BJP wants to evolve a model of national development, which is driven by the states. “Team India shall not be limited to the Prime Minister led team sitting in Delhi, but will also include Chief Ministers and other functionaries as equal partners,” the manifesto said.
5) Decentralization and People’s Participation: The manifesto proposes a People-Public-Private Partnership (PPPP) model to involve the people in Governance as functionaries and facilitators.
6) Open Government and Accountable Administration: Administrative reforms will be a priority for the BJP, the manifesto claims. The measures will include; digitization of government records, opening up government to draw expertise from the industry, academia and society into the services. BJP said that the hallmarks of its governance model would be; People-centric, Policy driven, Time bound delivery, Minimum Government, Maximum Governance.
7) E-Governance: There is a special mention of e-governance and IT as an enabler of empowerment. “BJP will focus on increasing the penetration and usage of broadband across the country, leverage technology for e-Governance, generate IT based jobs in rural and semi-urban areas, use mobile and e-Banking to ensure financial inclusion,” the manifesto said.
8) Rural and Urban development: “Agriculture, rural development and poverty alleviation go hand in hand. Major thrust area for rural development would be to improve village level infrastructure in terms of roads, potable water, education, health, supply chain, electricity, broadband, job creation, security in rural areas and linkage to markets,” the party’s manifesto said.
Apart from that, BJP has advocated for urban development as its priority. “We will initiate building 100 new cities. Major steps will be undertaken in Transport and Housing for ‘Urban Upliftment’ in India,” the manifesto seeks to promise.
“Cleanliness and Sanitation will be given priority – efficient Waste and Water management systems will be set up. Model towns will be identified for rolling out integrated waste management infrastructure,” the manifesto added.
9) Higher and Professional Education: “The basic objective of higher and professional education is not only rapid advancement of the affluent sector of the society but also to improve the lot of the last man in the line,” the document said.
10) Health Services: BJP has said that India needs a ‘comprehensive healthcare policy’. “The current situation calls for radical reforms in the healthcare system with regards to national healthcare programs and delivery, medical education and training and financing of healthcare,” it said. Several steps such as modernization of government hospitals, setting up an AIIMS like institute in every state and use of Yoga and Ayurveda medicines have been propagated.
11) Economic Revival: Fiscal discipline, re-visiting the policy framework, Banking reforms, encouraging savings and re-energizing the engines of growth are some of the solutions cited to ensure economic growth.
12) Taxation & FDI: BJP has said that it will rationalize and simplify the tax regime. It also said that it will bring on board all State governments in adopting GST, addressing all their concerns.
“Barring the multi-brand retail sector, FDI will be allowed in sectors wherever needed for job and asset creation, infrastructure and acquisition of niche technology and specialized expertise,” BJP said.
13) Agriculture, Industry, MSMEs and services sector: For each of these sectors in the economy, the manifesto has promised measures for better productivity and job creation. The party said it will aim to make investment and industrial regions as global hubs of manufacturing.
14) Physical Infrastructure development: Expediting work on freight and industrial corridors; connecting Northeast and Jammu and Kashmir with rest of the country through highways and railway lines; modernising airports; economic model of Port-led development; harnessing satellite technology; setting up National Optical-Fibre Network up to the village level; Diamond Quadrilateral project – of High Speed Train network (bullet train) are among the several things that BJP has promised.
15) Other salient points: Science and Technology, focus on flora and fauna, health services, education sector, women safety, social security, equal opportunities for minorities are among the other salient points that the manifesto has focussed on.
The BJP Pledge
Ek Bharat – Shrestha Bharat
Vibrant and Participatory Democracy
Empowered and Inspired People
Inclusive and Sustainable Development
Quality life in Villages and Cities
Basic Amenities to All
Flourishing Agriculture
Productive Youth
Involved Women
Robust physical and social Infrastructure
Innovative and Technologically driven Society
Globally competitive Economy
Brand India built on Quality
Strong, Effective and Futuristic Institutions
Open, Transparent and Systems-based Government
Pro-active, Pro-people Good Governance
To build a Modern India: the best foundation is our own Culture; the best tool our own hands; and the best material our own aspirations
Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas
Watch Gujarat CM Narendra Modi speak at the release of BJP Manifesto 2014 :
Sources:
http://bjpmanifesto.narendramodi.in/preface.php
http://www.narendramodi.in
