MVA vows Rs 3K for women, caste census

The opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) on Sunday promised free cervical cancer vaccines for girls aged nine to 16, caste-based census and a monthly financial aid of Rs 3,000 for women in its manifesto released by Congress president Mallkarjun Kharge in Mumbai.

Kharge launched a scathing attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi for accusing Rahul Gandhi of displaying a blank Constitution, saying he was a “king of lies (jhoothon ka sardar)”.

“Modi claimed this red book is an ‘urban Naxalite’ book and a piece of Marxist literature. Yet, in 2017, he himself presented the same book to then President Ram Nath Kovind. He even said it had blank pages,” Kharge remarked. In its manifesto titled “Maharashtranama”, the MVA vowed to give two optional leave days for women employees during menstruation.

It further promised setting up of a separate department for the empowerment of self-help groups, formation of a dedicated ministry of child welfare and six cooking gas cylinders every year at Rs 500 for women. The bloc promised Rs 50,000 each to farmers who repay their loans on time, removal of 50 per cent cap on reservations to increase opportunities for underprivileged communities, and a Rs 4,000 stipend for youths seeking jobs.

It also offered a health insurance scheme of Rs 25 lakh started by Ashok Gehlot in Rajasthan to be implemented in Maharashtra along with free medicines.