The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Sunday released its election manifesto - 'Sankalp Patra' for the ensuing Lok Sabha polls in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and party President JP Nadda were also present on the release of BJP's Sankalp Patra.
"We are proud that the BJP fulfills each of the promises from its 'sankalp patra'. Jo hum kehte hain, wo hum karte hain. There has never been any difference between our words and deeds," said Defence Minister Rajnath Singh.
BJP chief Nadda said, “Today is the birth anniversary of Bharat Ratna Dr BR Ambedkar, we pay tribute to him. We all know that he fought for social justice. Following his path, the BJP always fought for social justice."
For making this manifesto, the BJP had amassed over 1.5 million recommendations, with 4,00,000 originating from the NaMo app and 1.1 million submitted via videos.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said the BJP was focused on its four pillars -- youth, women, poor and the farmers, and 'Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas' is the ‘soul’ of BJP’s Sankalp Patra. He also reiterated the government's commitment to "fight against corruption as it snatches the rights of poor and middle-class".
He said this soon after Defence Minister Rajnth Singh presented the party's manifesto, named 'Sankalp Patra' at the BJP headquarters here.
PM Modi said, "The focus is on dignity and quality of life. This Sankalp Patra stresses on quality and quantity of opportunities."
He said, "All 70 plus senior citizens will be covered under the Ayushman scheme.
The PM reiterated the party's commitment to 'one nation, one election' and a common electoral roll system, and also said the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) will be implemented.
PM Modi said that the free ration scheme will continue for the next five years. He said the government is committed to providing for the meals of the poor which will be "nutritious, satiating and affordable".
"Four crore concrete houses have already been allotted, and three crore more will be given soon... Over two crore small farmers to benefit from ‘Sri Anna’ (superfood).. and our Sankalp is to make india a food processing hub, and boost the rural economy," he said
PM Modi said, "Now we will work towards reducing the electricity bill of crores of families to zero and creating earning opportunities from electricity. We have implemented the PM Surya Ghar Free Electricity Scheme."
He also expressed commitment to promoting the Tamil language, affirming its status as the pride of Bharat.
The Prime Minister highlighted the transformative impact of the MUDRA Yojana. The BJP has pledged to raise the loan limit under the scheme from Rs 10 lakh to Rs 20 lakh. He expressed confidence that this initiative will bolster the development of an ecosystem conducive to the demands of Industry 4.0.
"Disabled people will now be given priority in the PM Housing Scheme, and special efforts will be made to ensure that they get housing as per their special needs," said PM Modi.
The PM also stressed the need to promote tourism. He said, " We are committed to unlocking India’s potential for tourism, This is that section which can generate maximum employment in minimum time."
Sankalp Patra outlines collective aspirations of the nation: PM Modi
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Sunday, in a letter to his countrymen expressed that the nation has seen a massive transformation over the last decade. He added that the "Sankalp Patra is more than just a collection of promises," as it outlines the collective aspirations and goals of the nation.
"With your trust and support, the nation has seen a massive transformation over the last ten years. While development attained an unprecedented speed and scale, a significant transformation has also happened in terms of mindset," he wrote.
He also mentioned the achievable milestone of Viksit Bharat by 2047. "The nation is confident on its journey of becoming self-reliant (Aatmanirbhar). This is a big change from the atmosphere of desperation and frustration that the nation had experienced in the decade prior to 2014 due to the corruption, policy paralysis and misrule by the government of those times," he wrote.
Stating that "We have gone from a nation that was in the ‘Fragile Five’ to a nation that is one of the top 5 economies of the world," the PM acknowledged that "The most important facet of this progress is that the fruits of development reached everyone... The mantra of Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas, Sabka Prayas has guided our actions."
"Benefiting from our approach in basic needs like bank accounts, gas connections, toilets, water, electricity, etc, they [people] are also being empowered with new-age facilities like optic fibre connections, digital solutions, drones, etc," PM Modi said, indicating that the nation’s growth has come from the drastic socio-economic transformation in the lives of women, farmers, fisherfolks, street vendors, small entrepreneurs, SC, ST and OBC communities, who are being directly empowered through technology-driven schemes and facilities such as JAM (Jan Dhan, Aadhar, and Mobile).
"Whether it is historic MSP hikes, massive rise in procurement or making fertilisers available to them inexpensively despite globally high prices, direct income support through PM-KISAN, safety net of Fasal Bima, renewed focus on millets, expanded access to local and global markets, a number of steps have been taken to empower them. Our Annadatas are also becoming Urjadatas due to the PM KUSUM scheme. Empowered by our Beej Se Bazar Tak approach, our farmers have done wonders for the country," the PM stated, adding that farmers are the backbone of the nation’s progress.
The nation’s growth has been fueled by the government's focus on 'Vikas' and 'Virasat', and India has been setting new benchmarks in growth of both ecology and economy.
Further, highlighting the significance of the youth, PM Modi went on to write: "The nation’s growth has been fueled by the achievements of our youth who have not only dared to dream big but also worked to realise dreams in various domains such as space, sports and start-ups. In the last ten years, whether it is education, employment or entrepreneurship, crores of new opportunities have been created for our youth."
"At such a time, when our nation is ready to take off into a new phase of exponential growth, the Amrit Kaal, we seek your blessings for the roadmap that we are unveiling for the next five years. In the next five years, we will take our nation into the top three economies of the world, launch a final and decisive assault against poverty, open up newer avenues of growth in various sectors, further intensify our battle against corruption, unveil the next generation of reforms, and take a number of pro-people decisions and actions."
"Our Sankalp Patra is more than just a collection of promises. This Sankalp Patra outlines the collective aspirations and goals of our nation, by our nation and for our nation," the PM emphasised.
PM Modi concluded his letter by stating: "In 2014, we received your support to bring in a monumental transformation. In 2019, we received an even bigger mandate and ensured continued development and took big decisions. In the next five years, with your blessings, it is Modi’s Guarantee that we will work 24 by 7 for 2047. Your aspiration is our mission. Your dreams are our responsibility. Let us create a nation that future generations will be proud of!"