Key Highlights From The Congress Manifesto For 2024

Ahead of the 2024 elections, the Congress party has revealed its manifesto, placing a strong emphasis on tackling unemployment and conducting a nationwide caste census.

Led by Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, the manifesto launch witnessed the presence of leaders such as Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, and P Chidambaram.

At the core of the manifesto are the 'Paanch Nyay' or five pillars of justice, namely 'Yuva Nyay', 'Naari Nyay', 'Kisaan Nyay', 'Shramik Nyay', and 'Hissedari Nyay'.

One of the key highlights of the manifesto is the Congress's commitment to conduct the socio-economic and caste census.

Furthermore, the Congress has announced its intention to introduce a constitutional amendment aimed at raising the current 50 per cent cap on reservations for Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST), and Other Backward Classes (OBC).

Highlighting the broader theme of justice, P Chidambaram mentioned," The broad theme of the manifesto is justice. Every aspect of justice has been threatened, weakened in the last 10 years, especially in the last five years. Members of the media will recall that in 2019, we had warned what is likely to happen between 2019 and 2024 should the BJP comeback to power."

Key takeaways from the manifesto include:

- Abolition of contract jobs in public sector undertakings (PSUs) and government jobs.

- Reservation in private education institutions for SC/ST, OBCs, and the introduction of the Rohit Vemula Act to prevent caste-based harassment of students.

- Enhancement of pension for senior citizens, widows, and the disabled to Rs 1,000.

- Introduction of universal free healthcare with cashless insurance coverage of up to Rs 25 lakhs.

- Reservation of 50 per cent of central government jobs for women starting from 2025.

- Implementation of the Mahalakshmi scheme, providing unconditional cash transfer of Rs 1 lakh to every poor family.

Additionally, the manifesto pledges to abolish the Agnipath program.

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