MANGALURU: The grand old party intends to spend Rs 1,25,000 crore on irrigation over the next five years. Under Mission Visveshwaraiah, it proposes to restore all tanks and lakes across the state. Paschima Vahini project will be expedited to provide drinking water to Dakshin Kannada, Udupi and Uttara Kannada districts. The Congress intends to initiate a caste census to assess socio-economic and educational status of SCs/STs. It intends to raise the family income ceiling for below poverty line (BPL) families to Rs 2 lakh. The manifesto vows to make Karnataka a drug-free state by conducting awareness programmes in schools.
Congress will establish de-addiction centres with counselling cells in every taluk. In order to ensure minimum acquittals in cases registered under POCSO Act, POCSO courts will be held in child-friendly rooms. The number of women in the police force will be increased from 20 to 33 per cent, with another 5 per cent being reserved for transgender persons. In order to prevent moral policing, Congress intends to legislate a separate law for those accused in vigilantism and communal instigation. Congress intends to increase employability by 50 per cent and create self-help groups (SHGs) for youth on the lines of women SHGs. Congress has identified youth from Pambada, Nalike, Parava and Kudubi communities of DK and Udupi districts for skills training and to provide housing to. Congress is keen on establishing air-connectivity between Mangaluru and Hubballi.
Besides establishing residential schools in all districts for children with learning disability, Congress will launch a toll-free helpline for parents of children with specific learning disability and a centre for disability studies in a university. Congress plans 1,000 Maulana Azad schools to reduce dropout of minority students. Responding to a long-pending demand, Congress promises to set up a Christian development board to manage affairs of the Christian community. An emigrants’ office to be opened in passport offices in Bengaluru shall address travel difficulties faced by Kannadigas in procuring emigrant clearance certificate from Protector of Emigrants, Chennai. Congress has assured to establish a patent office in Bengaluru, a hardware park in Chikkaballapur and IT park in Devanahalli. It intends to establish as many as three universities including a forensic science university, skills university and sports university in Mysuru among others.