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The BJP rolled out its Rajasthan poll manifesto on Tuesday, promising 30,000 new government jobs every year, 50 lakh employment opportunities over the next five years in the private sector and an allowance for the educated jobless.
It also held out a possibility to farmers of doubling their income, helped by a new Rs 250-crore fund to encourage rural start-ups.
The manifesto for the December 7 assembly polls said illegal migrants from Bangladesh and Rohingya Muslims would be identified and expelled, and Hindus who had to leave Pakistan offered citizenship.
The manifesto unveiled here by Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje, Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and his cabinet colleagues Prakash Javadekar and Arjun Ram Meghwal.
The document, called 'Rajasthan Gaurav Sankalp', also mentioned efforts to check cow smuggling in the state.
Raje said the Eastern Rajasthan Canal project, which addresses the irrigation and drinking water problem in 13 districts of eastern Rajasthan, will be taken up on priority.
The Bharatiya Janata Party promised expansion of cooperative loans for the agriculture sector, saying loans worth Rs 1 lakh crore will be disbursed in the next five years.
If the Raje government returns to power, there will be farmers’ visits to Israel and other countries to study best practices. It will pick a district in each division to focus on organic farming. Farming of medicinal plants will also be encouraged.
Creation of jobs is a big part of the manifesto.
Raje promised the enactment of an employment guarantee scheme on the lines of the Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) for urban areas.
Apart from creating 30,000 government jobs every year, the manifesto assured 50 lakh job opportunities over five years in the private sector, including through self-employment.
Educated unemployed youths above 21 will be given an unemployment allowance of up to Rs 5,000 a month, the manifesto said.
It also carried promises for the tribals and Dalits.
A Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar pilgrimage fund will be established, Ambedkar Peeth in Jaipur declared a national-level tourist site, Dr Ambedkar chairs set up at government universities and e-libraries introduced in Ambedkar community halls.
The BJP announced that the state government will spend about Rs 5,000 crore in the next five years for the development of tribal sub-plan areas.
The next BJP government will recommend to the Centre to include 'Meena', along with 'Mina', in the list of Scheduled Tribes (ST) and will construct memorials to tribal leaders in Dungarpur, Kota, Bundi, Banswara and Jaipur.
In the education sector, a private school board or an empowered committee will help the government decide policies and a Vedic studies board will be set up.
The party also promised a scheme for providing meritorious students taking admission in government schools with laptops or smartphones.
Every government college will get an e-library, the party said.
The party said it would set up additional check posts to prevent cow smuggling in the Mewat region.
The next BJP government would rope in Akshya Patra Foundation or a similar organisation to manage cow shelters, it said.
Promises on industries, tourism, women welfare, social justice, youth and journalists also figure in the manifesto.
Chief Minister Raje claimed that her government fulfilled 630 out of the 665 promises made in the 2013 manifesto.
