Scootys, mobiles – Priyanka launches Congress manifesto for women in UP

Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Wednesday launched her party’s manifesto for women for the UP assembly election.

At a function in Lucknow, the general secretary of the All India Congress Committee in charge of UP made a slew of promises if her party was voted to power, including 40 per cent reservation for women in government jobs.

“I hope that this is not the last manifesto for women in the country. I hope that other political parties take a leaf out of this, and release manifestos for women,” she said.

“We have given 40 per cent reservation to women in tickets in the upcoming polls so that women empowerment is not just restricted to papers, and it actually happens. So far, talks of women empowerment is mostly restricted to pre-poll promises and on paper. When women will become participants in politics, then it will translate to change on the ground. Before this, the Congress gave 33 per cent reservation for women in Panchayati Raj. That is where this began. The Congress gave the country the first female prime minister and the first female Uttar Pradesh CM, Sucheta Kripalani,” she said.

On the Congress’s decision to give 40 per cent poll tickets to women, Priyanka said her party wanted to “fix the imbalance is politics”. “In the Lok Sabha and state assemblies, the representation of women is less than 14 per cent. When 40 per cent women fight elections, then this number will increase and hopefully in the coming time, it will increase in Lok Sabha too when the elections come,” she said.

The Congress manifesto is divided into six categories: ‘Swabhiman’ (Self-respect), ‘Swawlamban’ (Independence), ‘Shiksha’ (Education), ‘Samman’ (Respect), ‘Suraksha’ (Security) and ‘Sehat’ (Health). Here are the key promises:

Swabhiman

• 40% tickets to women in UP polls

Swawlamban

• 40% of 20 lakh jobs the party has promised to create to be given to women
• Businesses with more than 50% female workforce to get special incentives, including tax exemptions
• Special quota for women in male-centric professions
• Mandatory creche facility at all government offices, while private offices to be encouraged to open up creches
• Asha and anganwadi workers to get a honorarium of ₹10,000 per month
• 40% reservation for women in MNREGA work
• 50% ration shops to be run and managed by women

Shiksha

• Students of Class XII to be given smartphones, while those pursuing graduation to get a scooty
• Scholarships for girls in secondary schools
• Residential schools for girls to be set up in all 75 districts of the state
• Funded programmes for single mothers in vocational training

Samman

• Free public transport for women
• Monthly pension of ₹1,000 for elderly women
• Special training programmes for widowed women
• Three free gas cylinders in a year to every woman in the state

Suraksha

• 25% jobs to women in police force. Female constables at all stations
• A special commission comprising six women (two judges, two activists, two government officials) at state level to look into cases of harassment of women and other anti-women crimes
• A special legal cell in all districts to look into crimes against women

Sehat

• Free medical treatment of up to ₹10 lakh per family to be given for all diseases