THIRUVANANTHAPURAM : The Congress draft manifesto for the upcoming general election will be submitted to the CWC – the party’s top decision-making body – by February 15, Shashi Tharoor MP said on Sunday. He was speaking during the ‘Congress Manifesto 2024’ programme, organised to hear public opinion on preparing the document, at Ayyankali Hall in Thiruvananthapuram.
“Congress is seeking public opinion to prepare the draft of the election manifesto at various places in the country. P Chidambaram is leading this programme. I am in charge of holding meetings in Thiruvananthapuram and Kolkata. This is an exercise to ensure public participation in preparing the manifesto,” said Tharoor, who is also a Congress Working Committee (CWC) member
At the meeting, many prominent figures from the public sphere put forth suggestions, most of which touched upon welfare of farmers, fishermen and marginalised sections. Environmentalist and social activist C R Neelakandan said the Congress should gain the trust of marginalised people and that they should be rehabilitated from the clutches of communal ideologies.
“Marginalised people are vulnerable, and they are prone to communal ideologies. Similarly, a clear commitment should be made pertaining to climate change. People living in high-ranges and coastal areas are in crisis. Their issues should be addressed. Farmers are an integral part of our society. There should be legal bindings for their welfare. A policy should be made to stop collecting toll fees from people using roads and highways. Taxation is important. But imposing a toll fee is unjustifiable,” Neelakandan said.
Economist and academician Mary George called for a ‘farmers’ budget’ to ensure the welfare of farmers. She recommended restoring the railway budget, which was scrapped by the NDA government. George called for a millet revolution in the country and suggested introducing procurement of rubber in the state. She also emphasised the welfare of fisherfolk who were displaced as part of the implementation of the Vizhinjam Port project.
“The Vizhinjam Port project is part of the blue economy. Many fishermen were displaced as part of the project. They should be properly rehabilitated. During a recent stroll from Perumathura to Adimalathura, I was shocked to see the number of houses destroyed by sea erosion. Their livelihoods have been adversely impacted. The Congress should work to rehabilitate all the affected fishermen,” she said. George also propounded a university for tribal communities in Wayanad, where 41% of tribal people in the state live.
INTUC state president R Chandrasekharan suggested restoring the old pension and social security schemes. “Currently, less than 3% of people receive the benefits of social security. A commitment should be made to set apart 10% of the GDP for social security. Similarly, the public sector should be protected,” he said.
Many suggested health insurance covering all citizens that will be structured based on income levels. People living in extreme poverty should pay the minimum amount to avail the insurance, and they should get treatment at all the hospitals in the country, including specialised hospitals, it was proposed.
‘Make all spheres disabled-friendly’
Shashi Tharoor said that all spheres of society should be made disabled-friendly. The rights given to the disabled are not fully recognised and implemented by government and society. He said that even the reservation implemented for the differently abled in government jobs is being subverted. He was inaugurating the 14th foundation day conference of the Differently Abled People’s Congress at the KPCC headquarters on Sunday.