Staff Reporter
SHILLONG:
The All India Trinamool Congress (AITC) has in its ’10 pledges for Meghalaya’ maintained that it will revoke the border Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between the state governments of Assam and Meghalaya.
Addressing a gathering to release the party’s manifesto on January 24, national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee said that the 10 pledges for Meghalaya are not promises but a vision document.
He said, “These are pledges and not promises. When we make a pledge, we make a pledge to ensure that till the last drop of our blood we fight to ensure that they are being implemented to the last person we have promised this pledge to.”
Claiming that the party does not make empty promises, he said that the pledges will be executed and honored within 100 days of forming the government.
Taking a dig at other political parties for the “outsider” tag given to TMC, he said, “The irony is that the people, who labeled us as outsiders, are yet to come up with their manifestos and yet to come up with their vision document, because they neither have a vision or a mission for Meghalaya.”
Banerjee outlined the TMC’s pledge for a double-digit economic growth in the next five years to double the GDP size, and spoke about women empowerment through direct transfer of Rs 1000 per month as universal income support to a woman of every household. The other pledge is social security for all who have social welfare pensions and schemes which will be increased to Rs 1000 per month.
He also spoke about Meghalaya UNITE (Meghalaya Unorganised Sector Training and Empowerment scheme) and of creating three lakh jobs over the next five years. He said that the party will come up with e-ration cards for all and introduce the Farmers’ Assistance for Rural Meghalaya (FARM) for farmers.
As for health infrastructure, Banerjee said that shortage of specialists, staff and equipment at all PHCs and CHCs will be bridged and will go for 25 per cent in healthcare cover for senior citizens under Meghalaya Health Insurance Scheme.
Under quality education for children, the AITC general secretary said that a direct benefit transfer of Rs 1200 annually will go to the families of all school-going children registered in all government-run schools. Under the robust civic amenities for residents, Banerjee said that the party will ensure piped water connections to all households, revival of Meghalaya Electricity Corporation Limited (MeECL), roads to be converted to black-topped motorable roads; he also spoke of completing the Shillong Ring Road project.
As for music, sports, culture, and tourism, he spoke of mission sports to identify, train and promote talent at the block level and to have a state first Sports University.
The tenth pledge is to honour traditional institutions and sacred land, Banerjee said that a private member bill in the Union Parliament for the immediate recognition of the Khasi and Garo languages through their inclusion in the Eighth Schedule of the Indian Constitution.
He also spoke about the immediate implementation of the Meghalaya Residents Safety and Security Act (MRSSA), 2016.