Uttar Pradesh Assembly Elections 2012: Congress unveils grand UP vision

Friday 27 January 2012

With an aim to foster growth and development in politically crucial state of Uttar Pradesh, the Congress on Friday released its “Vision Document 2020″, laying special emphasis on sectors like education, employment and economy.

Unveiling the road map for growth, Union Law Minister Salman Khurshid said, “Congress party is releasing the Vision Document 2020 prepared under the able guidance of party chief Sonia Gandhi and general secretary Rahul Gandhi for the all round development of Uttar Pradesh with an special focus on generating more employment opportunities and improving the law and order situation here.”

Speaking to reporters, Khurshid said, “Congress party aims at creating 20 lakh jobs in the next five years and for that special training institutes will be set up across the state.”

Assuring a Rs 3000 crore relief package for state’s weavers, Khurshid said, “Social justice remains our main focus.”

Referring to the recent controversy over sub-quota for minorities, the Congress leader said, “Existing reservation policy needs to be addressed, ” adding, “We have promised 50% reservation for women’s at the panchayat levels. ”

Congress vision document also promises to bring a new land acquisition policy and introduce metro rail in major UP cities.”

The document, which was released from ten different cities, focuses on nine main points and has enlisted very ambitious plans like setting up 1000 skill development centres to provide jobs to to 20 lakh unemployed youths and amendments in law to check the persecution of females.

Another key plan is to provide electricity to the farmers in day time for agriculuture and in the night for their homes.

The Vision Document targeting “Nav UP, Nav Vikas (new Uttar Pradesh, new development)” encapsulating party’s plans for the state, also talks about reviving the traditional industries of the state by infusing new technology and providing the needed financial support.

The nine focus areas of the document with the punchline of “Justice, Development and Right (Nyaya, Vikas aur Adhikar)” are employment, agriculture, education, health, women empowerment, empowerment of weaker sections including most backward classes, minorities and SCs STs.

The document is an attempt by Congress to convince the electorate of its intention to bring about a change in the state, which had been ruled for more than two decades by BJP, SP and BSP.

Through the document, Congress has also laid out out special development plans for regions like Bundelkhand in a bid to blunt Mayawati’s attempt to woo voters through the proposal of creating four separate states out of UP.

It was released today in Gorakhpur, Varanasi, Lucknow, Allahabad, Kanpur, Jhansi, Agra, Meerut, Shahjahanpur and Moradabad by a host of leaders including Union Ministers Kapil Sibal, Salman Khurshid, Sriprakash Jaiswal, Rajiv Shukla, Meenakshi Natarjan, Jitendra Singh, Rajiv Shukla, Delhi Chief Minister Shiela Dikshit and Prime Minister’s Advisor on Innovation Sam Pitroda.