SHILLONG: Defence Minister and BJP leader Nirmala Sitharaman on Thursday released the party’s vision document for Meghalaya ahead of Assembly elections in the state.
Speaking to reporters after releasing the document, the Union Minister alleged that basic infrastructure like roads and safe drinking water is yet to reach the people.
She claimed that while India is a country with surplus electricity today, the state government has failed to light up the lives of thousands of poor households.
The mission document promises housing for all with pucca roofs, job opportunities to the youth and employment to 2 lakh youth in the tourism industry, apart from setting up agricultural markets.
The defence minister wondered aloud why things were not looking up even after so many years of Congress rule.
Asked about the BJP’s claim of creating 2 crore jobs, Sitharaman said that apart from formal jobs, informal jobs and self-employment generation should also be taken into account.
With the growing demand for implementation of the Inner Line Permit (ILP) in the state, the BJP leader assured that checking influx of foreign migrants through strong policy decisions was the need of the hour.
Stating that peace and security were a prerequisite for development, the document says the BJP is committed to curbing insurgency by working on development projects, besides ensuring safety and security of women and children against sexual abuse. The party is committed to making Meghalaya a crime-free state, the document claims.
According to the BJP, the state could emerge as a healthcare hub in the North-East and the party would set up a specialised cancer hospital and upgrade all the existing health institutes over and above the budgetary allocation of Rs 5 lakh health insurance to every poor household.
Apart from promising 24x7electricity to every household and upgrading the state’s road network, the document declares the saffron party’s aim of setting up more government schools with trained teachers in the state.
The vision document also promises that the BJP, if elected, will resolve the inter-state border issue by taking on board the Centre and the BJP government in neighbouring Assam – an issue that the ruling Congress has failed to resolve thus far.
BJP’s sanitary napkin sop for women voters
The BJP has promised to distribute a packet of sanitary napkins to all women from BPL households in the state.
Asked whether the saffron party has drawn inspiration from the movie Padman, Union Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman replied the BJP cares for women and their hygiene issues.
In a power-packed jibe at the BJP, on the other hand, former Union minister and Congress leader Anand Sharma said that it was the Modi government that had initially put an 18 per cent GST cap on sanitary napkins.
