AAP vows to uplift farmers in Punjab

Chandigarh: AAP in Punjab on Thursday released  its eleven point election manifesto focusing on farmers. Releasing the manifesto AAP campaign committee chairperson, Aman Arora on Thursday said that “Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is aware of the issues and concerns people of the state were wrestling with, be it the distress of farmers and farm hands, the travails of the industrialists and traders, the never-ending menace of drugs, unemployment, and so on. These issues need to be addressed sooner than later to bring the state back on the path of progress and prosperity.  AAP will make no false promises to the people just to grab power, but would work earnestly and honestly to live up to their expectations. We are here in the public court with our 5-year report card of achievements.”

Releasing the manifesto, Mr Arora said that the elected representatives of the party would prioritise issues and concerns of the people and raise their voices to redress the peoples’ grievances. The 11-point party manifesto covers a wider spectrum of public-centric issues and concerns which are as follows.

The manifesto promises to take up the issue of the beleaguered farming community with the union government for  the implementation of the recommendations of the Swaminathan Commission, i.e. ensuring 1.5 times the cost of production, et al to provide the much-needed respite to the distressed community.

The AAP leader said that the party manifesto bats for setting up of agro-based industry in Punjab to boost the farmers’ income to stop the unending trail of suicides committed by them and farm hands.

The manifesto aims at providing relief to the industrialists by ensuring special package at par with certain hill states availing the package. It would also stress the need for ensuring ‘One-country-one-tax’, Arora pointed out.

The manifesto seeks to reduce and simplify GST rate, thus offering relief to a large number of traders/ industrialists in the state.

The party would go the whole hog to press the union government to start the freight corridor from Amritsar to Kolkata as may prove to be boon in disguise for the industry in Punjab which was in doldrums. The project had been hanging in the balance for years now due to the laidback stance of the union government, Arora said

The party is aware of the fact that a large number of the youth was jobless and was left with no option but to go abroad in search of greener pastures. With a view to generating ample employment opportunities for the youth, the Party would bring in large scale public sector undertakings (PSUs) to the state, the AAP leader said.

The manifesto seeks to bring better and high-end health services to the people at the door steps. The party manifesto promises to bring more government hospitals at par with AIIMS and PGI ( Chandigarh) to the state so that the people didn’t have to look up for health providers in other states for treatment for life-threatening diseases.

The party feels that a good number of students pursuing higher professional education have to move out to distant places due to the lack of adequate opportunities. The party would stress for bringing high-end IIMs and IITs to the state.

Arora said that all-out efforts would be made by the elected representatives of the party to save Punjab waters, environment, ecology and soil, stating that the was committed to the casue.

Arora further added that the party was aware of the farm distress and would do its best to mitigate farm distress in Punjab, by betting special package passed from the union government.