Isaac: UDF, NDA manifestos do not consider Kerala conditions

Kottayam: Announcements made by UDF and NDA through their manifestos do not take into account conditions in Kerala, said CPM central committee member T M Thomas Isaac at a press conference here on Thursday. "UDF is not proposing any plan to increase revenue," he said.

"UDF has announced "guarantees" that seem to be prepared by people unfamiliar with Kerala. One announcement is to provide financial aid of Rs 1,000 to college-going girls. In other states, girls do not attend college, so they need to be encouraged. They claim to bring this plan to Kerala, where girls already attend college. What students need here is skill training and campus placements, which is why state govt has implemented Connect to Work programme," Isaac said.

"UDF's announcement of providing insurance of Rs 25 lakh is aimed at supporting corporate hospitals. Premium for treatment there will have to be paid from govt treasury. LDF policy is to provide free treatment up to Rs 5 lakh if sought at govt or accredited hospitals. So far, 99% of insurance claims fall within this limit," he said.

"NDA's announcement of eliminating Kerala's debt is laughable. India, under their rule, has a debt of Rs 200 lakh crore. UDF is against KIIFB, so how will they continue the current development activities? It was Congress that promised a higher support price for rubber but destroyed it through Asean agreement," Isaac added.