NDA envisions social uplift

Thiruvananthapuram: The BJP-led National Democratic Alliance's vision document, released by Union finance minister Arun Jaitley here on Saturday, says the principal objective of the alliance if voted to power would be to bring socially and economically marginalized sections into the mainstream.
It also set a five-year deadline to complete land reforms in the state.
"Those who don't have land will get 20 cents within panchayat limits, 10 cents in municipalities and five cents in corporations. The NDA, if voted to power, will create a land bank in six months besides recovering 60,000 acres of government land from private custody for distribution among the landless," said BJP state president Kummanam Rajasekharan, who introduced the document.
The document promised to introduce prohibition in a phased manner. As part of this, availability of liquor from government run beverages outlets will be limited to 250 mlperson. All beverages outlets will be closed down in phases while no more bars will be opened, it said.
The alliance promised a 10-point development agenda, which included government jobs for all tribal people with SSLC qualification. It said government jobs would be ensured for at least one person in every tribal family. The document ensured programmes would be devised to create 1,000 engineers, 500 teachers, 100 doctors and 50 civil servants from among tribal sections.
The entry of tribal leader C K Janu into the NDA fold is believed to have prompted it to focus more on tribal development. The document also promised a separate agriculture budget on the lines of the railway budget besides free agriculture loan and special scheme for paddy cultivation.
A housing scheme in the name of social reformer Sree Narayana Guru and an education scholarship scheme in the name of Nair Service Society (NSS) founder Mannathu Padmanabhan are among other promises.