JAMMU — The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) unveiled its manifesto for the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly elections, with Union Home Minister Amit Shah emphasizing the party's commitment to the region's development and integration with India.
Addressing the gathering, Shah highlighted the BJP's long-standing connection to Jammu and Kashmir, tracing it back to the struggles of Pandit Prem Nath Dogra and Syama Prasad Mookerjee. He emphasized the party's belief in the region's integral role in India.
Shah also tackled the pressing issues of militancy and separatism, asserting that the BJP would not appease these forces like previous governments. He declared that the period between 2014 and 2024 would be remembered as a golden era in Indian and Jammu and Kashmir's history.
The Bharatiya Janata Party promised a range of initiatives across various sectors.
In the agriculture sector, the party has pledged to provide ₹10,000 to farmers under the PM Kisan Samman Nidhi and reduce electricity rates for agricultural activities by 50%.
For employment, the BJP aims to generate 5 lakh job opportunities for the youth and ensure a fair recruitment process.
In education, as per the news agency KNT, the party promises to provide a travel allowance of ₹3,000 per year to college students under the Pragati Shiksha Yojana and add 1,000 new seats in medical colleges.
The manifesto also focuses on social welfare, with initiatives such as the Maa Samman Yojana, which will provide ₹18,000 per year to the senior-most woman in every household, and increase old age, widow, and disability pensions three times.
Infrastructure development is also a key focus area, with plans to complete important tunnel projects, construct 10,000 km of new rural roads, and initiate metro services in Jammu and Srinagar.
Additionally, the party has promised to rebuild and renovate Hindu temples and religious places and transform Jammu and Kashmir from a militant hotspot to a tourist spot.
A Special Economic Zone (SEZ) for IT at Jammu City, an amusement park in Srinagar, and the development of Gulmarg and Pahalgam as modern tourist destinations will be the key elements of economic growth and infrastructure development in the Union Territory, it said in the manifesto.
The party aims to develop the Tawi Riverfront in Jammu, modelled after Ahmedabad’s Sabarmati Riverfront, and to promote water sports and tourism around Dal Lake in Srinagar.
For small traders and MSMEs, the BJP has pledged to resolve existing issues around land access, utility services and lease deeds. These measures are expected to boost local businesses and support economic growth.
In healthcare, the Ayushman Bharat Sehat Yojana will provide an additional ₹2 lakh in coverage, while the party has also pledged to speed up the rehabilitation process for displaced people.
This post first appeared on The Kashmir Pulse
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