IMPHAL: LPG cylinders at Rs 400 and 25,000 jobs are two major promises of the ruling BJP in Arunachal Pradesh where Assembly and parliamentary elections will be held simultaneously on April 19.
Releasing the election manifesto on Wednesday, BJP president JP Nadda said the Rs 400 cooking gas cylinders would be provided to beneficiaries of the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana.
“We will create 25,000 employment and self-employment opportunities for the youth and women,” Nadda said. “Under the PM Mudra Yojana, the BJP will offer collateral-free low interest loans up to Rs 10 lakh to young women entrepreneurs,” he said.
The BJP promised to connect over 500 remote villages using drones to deliver life-saving drugs, essential medical supplies and diagnostic samples under the “Medicine from the Sky Initiative”. Many villages in the Himalayan state are not connected with road network and they are virtually inaccessible.
The BJP also promised that it will launch the Mithun and Yak Rearing Mission. The objective is to preserve indigenous breeds and enhance the livelihoods of local communities.
The meat of mithun is a delicacy in the state while yak plays an important role in the livelihood of the highlanders, catering to their essential needs through its products – milk, meat, fibre, hide, dung and draft power for transportation.
India has some 58,000 yaks, found on the heights of Arunachal, Sikkim, Himachal Pradesh and Ladakh. In Arunachal, their population is estimated to be 24,000, found in Tawang, West Kameng and Shi Yomi districts. The National Research Centre on Yak is located at Dirang in the state.
The BJP pledged that it will launch the Arunachal Pradesh Gati Shakti Master Plan to boost multi-modal connectivity and integrated infrastructural development by implementing critical projects across roadways, railways and airways. Further, it promised that it will introduce a fleet of EV buses and EV charging stations to ensure net zero emissions.
“We will launch the Arunachal Pradesh Agri-Infra Mission under Atma Nirbhar Yojana to ensure holistic agricultural infrastructure,” Nadda said, adding, “We will revamp the Dulari Kanya Scheme to provide cumulative financial assistance of Rs 50,000 to every girl enrolling into graduation or professional courses.”
The BJP is contesting all 60 seats in the Assembly elections. The Congress is contesting 34, National People’s Party 29, Nationalist Congress Party 17 and People’s Party of Arunachal 2.