NEW DELHI, Sept 17: On Tuesday, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge reaffirmed his party’s commitment to restoring Jammu and Kashmir’s full statehood. In a statement on X, Kharge assured that Congress would reinstate the region’s status as a full-fledged state and highlighted key promises made ahead of the upcoming assembly elections.
Kharge emphasized that the Congress would infuse new energy into the youth of Jammu and Kashmir by creating one lakh government jobs. “We guarantee the rights of Jammu and Kashmir and will ensure it regains its status as a full-fledged state,” Kharge stated in his post.
The Congress leader also outlined several significant promises aimed at improving the quality of life in the region. These include providing Rs 25 lakh worth of free medical treatment for every family and establishing a super-specialty hospital in each district to foster a healthier society. Additionally, the party plans to expand Dr. Manmohan Singh’s rehabilitation program for Kashmiri Pandits and secure constitutionally-based rights for the OBC class.
For women, Kharge announced financial support of Rs 3,000 per month for heads of households. The manifesto also promises food security by ensuring every family receives 11 kg of grain.
The Congress party’s manifesto, titled “Haath Badlega Halaat,” was unveiled on Monday by AICC media and publicity department head Pawan Khera and PCC President Tariq Hameed Karra in Srinagar. The manifesto includes numerous welfare initiatives, such as insurance for crops against natural calamities and a minimum support price (MSP) of Rs 72 per kilogram for apples.
Further measures include additional financial support of Rs 4,000 annually for landless, tenant, and land-owning farming households, along with 99-year leases for landless farmers cultivating state land. A Rs 2,500 crore fund will be created for district-level irrigation projects to ensure complete irrigation for farmers.
For the youth, the Congress promises an unemployment allowance of up to Rs 3,500 per month for one year and the filling of one lakh vacant government positions with a job calendar issued within 30 days. The party also plans to revive special border recruitment for police, fire brigade, and forest protection forces, and allot 30 percent of construction work-related contracts to unemployed engineers.
In addition, the Congress plans to streamline the verification process for government jobs, passports, and other services to reduce undue harassment. “The long night has ended, and a new dawn is upon us. Haath badlega Jammu aur Kashmir ke haalaat. The Congress will heal the wounds,” Khera concluded.