BJP manifesto vows to create more jobs, big push to infra projects to spur growth

New Delhi: The BJP’s election manifesto released on Sunday promises to create more jobs, give a bigger push to infrastructure to spur economic growth and expand welfare programmes for the poor.

While the 10-year term of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in power has seen strong economic growth with big investments in infrastructure projects such as highways and ports, he said that this was “merely the trailer” and bigger development projects were to come ahead.

"Our focus is on dignity of life ... on quality of life, our focus is also on creating jobs through investment," PM Modi said after releasing the manifesto, titled ‘Modi's Guarantee’, at the party headquarters in the capital.

PM Modi said the manifesto is focused on creating jobs in sectors such as infrastructure, aviation, railways, electric vehicles, green energy, semiconductors and pharmaceuticals.

“India's youth will not have even imagined the number of opportunities that will come their way," he said while releasing the manifesto.

PM Modi also promised to expand welfare programmes, including bringing all Indians above the age of 70 under the Ayushman free health insurance programme and pushing piped cooking gas connections to all houses to follow up on a subsidised cooking gas cylinder programme launched in 2016.

Other BJP promises include raising the cap on loans for non-farming small and micro borrowers, offering free housing for another 30 million poor and continuing the free foodgrains scheme for 80 crore poor people for another five years.

The manifesto also states that the BJP government would continue to focus on a path of low inflation and fiscal prudence to achieve high economic growth and ensure a developed India.

PM Modi also slammed the Congress, saying while their leaders were talking of Garibi Hatao now, they had done nothing to remove poverty in the country during the 50 years of their rule.