Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, the Congress leader and General Secretary of the All-India Congress Committee, today unveiled a special manifesto for women, which promises significantly more than the previously claimed 40% of seats for women candidates in the 2022 UP Assembly elections. The manifesto outlines various perks aimed at boosting women’s self-esteem and self-reliance, and Gandhi pointed out that 40% of tickets for women is just the beginning.
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Gandhi used the example of India’s first female Prime Minister to show that the Congress party has always been a champion of women’s issues, despite the fact that America has just recently elected a female vice president. The women’s manifesto is broken into six parts, she explained. The first section focuses on boosting women’s self-esteem by allowing them to participate in politics on an equal basis with males. According to the women’s agenda, Congress wants to progressively boost female involvement in politics to 50%. The manifesto’s second section intends to increase women’s self-reliance by stating that 40 percent of seats would be reserved for women under the reservation clause.
Aside from that, women would be eligible for subsidised loans, and the party will empower women to enhance their engagement in the rural workforce. Women will also be given priority under the MGNREGA. In addition, the manifesto states that 50% of PDS stores would be awarded to women, that free mobile phones will be provided to females who pass their class 12 exams, and that electric scooters will be given to girls who graduate. Ms Gandhi Vadra, who is directing her party’s campaign in the election-bound state, gave out a list of policies and programmes that the Congress intends to implement if it wins next year’s election, and asked that all parties recognise “the truth that women have to live with exploitation.”
Ms Gandhi Vadra’s promises include three free LPG cylinders for women, which is a big gesture considering the country’s increasing gas cylinder costs, for which the BJP (in power in UP and at the centre) has been heavily chastised. “We want to create a women’s manifesto so that women may make their own decisions. Women ki bahut shoshan hota hai, I’ve seen, but they’re fighting for their rights “she stated
Ms Gandhi Vadra added that in addition to smartphones, scooters, and free gas cylinders, women elderly people and widows would receive a monthly pension of 1,000 rupees, and that every new-born girl would receive a fixed deposit in her name. A free internet connection will be provided to all female-headed families. Ms Gandhi Vadra also brought up the matter of women’s safety, which is an important topic considering the alarming number of violent crimes against women recorded in Uttar Pradesh. “At least one-woman officer and constable must be present in every chowki “She reminded reporters that many crimes go unreported because police are hesitant to bring charges.
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The Congress also guaranteed women a ten-thousand-dollar medical insurance plan “for any form of illness or ailment.” In a few months, the UP will vote for a new administration. The 403-seat Assembly election is largely seen as a barometer of how the incumbent BJP would do in the national election in 2024, when Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his party will seek a third term in office.
