NDA for 75% local quota in Punjab govt jobs, 'zero tolerance' for sacrilege

JALANDHAR: The BJP-led alliance in Punjab on Saturday came out with a sop-heavy poll manifesto that promises 75% reservation of government jobs for natives and 35% for women, a 50% quota in private employment and an unemployment allowance of Rs 4,000 a month for all graduates for two years.

The manifesto also outlines the BJP,

Punjab Lok Congress

and Shiromani Akali Dal (Sanyukt) combine's intent "to revive Punjab's economy" through an infrastructure development fund of Rs 1 lakh crore, to be spent over five years if they form the government.

Seeking to appeal to

Punjabi

sentiments, the document speaks of "zero tolerance towards sacrilege" and the alliance's commitment to set up fast-track courts to hear such cases in a time-bound manner. The manifesto was released here by central ministers Hardeep Singh Puri and Som Parkash, Punjab Lok Congress's Raninder Singh, BJP general secretary Dushyant Gautam and secretary Tarun Chugh.

On the subject of law and order, domain experts in law, forensics, digital forensics and information technology will be recruited in all police stations for prompt services, it said.