Kerala elections: Free cooking gas, high-speed rail & AIIMS — NDA goes all out with big poll promises

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: BJP-led NDA has come out with a bouquet of promises, from women empowerment to free cooking gas, high-speed rail and AIIMS, if voted to power in Kerala in assembly elections. BJP national president Nitin Nabin released the election manifesto on Tuesday.

BJP said women from BPL families will get an arogya suraksha card, with which they can buy groceries and medicines worth Rs 2,500 every month. It also promised two free LPG cylinders a year (one each during Onam and Christmas) to poor families and 20,000 litres of drinking water/month free to every household. BJP added that it will work with Centre and TN govt to ensure safety for Kerala and water for TN.




BJP said it will protect Sabarimala, Guruvayur and all other places of worship by revamping devaswom boards to increase participation of devotees in temple management. It promised to end corruption through a time-bound CBI enquiry into Sabarimala gold heist. It also promised to launch Sabarimala Infrastructure Development Mission to undertake large-scale devotee-centric infrastructure development.

Other major announcements include minimum support price for all crops that require support. BJP said it will amend relevant land and forestry laws to allow plantation lands to adopt multi-crop agriculture. It added that Ayushman Bharat PM-JAY will be expanded to cover every Keralite, providing a safety net during medical emergencies.

NDA promised an increased welfare pension of Rs 3,000 a month for women heads of poor households, widows and senior citizens aged over 70. It also promised to establish a high-speed railway network connecting Thiruvananthapuram and Kannur. BJP said it will complete all phases of Kochi Metro and introduce new Metro services in Thiruvananthapuram and Kozhikode.

BJP said it will launch an employment-linked incentive scheme. Under this, it will provide a soft loan of Rs 1 lakh for each job created for residents to enterprises in state.

Other major promises include development of Vizhinjam as a major industrial complex by establishing a ship repair and marine engineering cluster, an elevated double-rail line from Nemom yard to Vizhinjam Port and a dedicated industrial corridor surrounding the port. BJP said it will transform state-sponsored education to offer optional English medium over the next five years.

It said corporations will be developed as economic engines through a tailored vision. It said Thiruvananthapuram will be developed as IT and innovation capital, Kochi as India's shipbuilding capital, Kozhikode as healthcare and medical innovation hub, Thrissur as Kerala's cultural tourism capital, Kollam as blue economy cluster for marine exports and Kannur as defence innovation hub.