BJP releases 11-point Economic agenda for governance

Nagpur, Feb 7: The BJP today announced its 11-Point economic agenda for governance, to make India ''strong, secure and  prosperous'' by 2020, highlighting all-round failure of the UPA's economic policy which failed to arrest the price rise and speed up  the economic growth. In a six-page resolution adopted on the first day of the two-day National Council meeting here, the party reiterated its commitment  to improve the quality of lives of people, living in urban as well as rural areas. 

The 11-Point agenda includes rapid employment, strengthening of agriculture sector to improve economic conditions of farmers, strengthening of rural infrastructure, quality education and health care, developing infrastructure on war-footing, making the country self-sufficient in energy, revamping of cities by putting them on a sustainable economic footing, implementing financial reforms, taxation reforms and involvement of private sector in R & D in Defence production.

Talking of establishing an equitable economic growth model, the resolution guarantees economic security, employment and provision of basic needs to every one.

It said every Indian should have adequate nutrition, health care, sanitation, fundamental right to water, access to education and credit facility. Promising rapid economic generation, the resolution said that more than 150 million young people would be  given jobs in five years. It ensured remunerative prices for crops  and better crop management with adequate water supply.

The rural infrastructure would be strengthened by making available electricity to all villages, which would be connected with all-weather roads. 

About financial and taxation reforms, the party in the resolution said reforms would be taken up in such a manner that the economy was  not exposed to domestic and global risks. On taxation reforms,  it said that the party would abolish the Central Sales Tax and provide easy loans to the small traders to enable them to earn their livelihoods. 

Cautioning the electorate against electing the UPA government  again in the coming election, the party said the Prime Minister's Economic Advisory Council had itself described 2008 as a year of  crisis. This UPA government, the party said, had failed to find a Finance Minister to look after the important portfolio vacated by Mr P Chidamabaram. First, the Prime Minister took charge of the ministry, then it had been passed on to the External Affairs Minister who was already loaded ''with multifarious reponsibilities''. Earlier, the UPA government had to sack its former External  Affairs Minister on unethical conduct, the resolution said. 

Foreseeing 2009 as a year of bigger crisis, if UPA was voted to power, it warned that lakhs of workers would lose their  livelihoods. 

The resolution noted that economy of the country was looking upward during the NDA regime and the Vajpayee Government had provided a sense of economic security to the people, with economy of surpluses. ''That security is once again in jeopardy,'' it said, adding the UPA was responsible for making India once again 'weak'  and 'vulnerable' on economic front. 

The resolution lambasted the Manmohan Singh government for discontinuing the ambitious Highways Development Project, and linking of rivers across the country, initiated by the Vajpayee government. UNI