Contrasting Visions in Lok Sabha Election Manifestos: Modi's Guarantee vs. Congress's NYAY

Both the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress have outlined their strategies to uplift the poor, women, and youth, albeit with differing approaches. The BJP's manifesto, titled "Modi Ki Guarantee," focuses on four key groups: the poor, youth, farmers, and women. It promises to enhance existing policies to economically and socially empower these groups. Meanwhile, the Congress's manifesto centers on justice, or NYAY, with 25 guarantees covering various sectors such as youth, women, farmers, workers, and social justice.

Focus on women

The BJP aims to increase the number of Lakhpati Didis, a self-help group initiative for rural women, from 10 million to 30 million. Additionally, it pledges to empower women SHGs with skills and tools in key service sectors like IT, healthcare, and retail. The party also vows to facilitate greater participation of women in the workforce and expand health services to prevent breast and cervical cancer. On the other hand, the Congress promises a Mahalakshmi scheme, offering ₹1 lakh annually to poor families. It pledges to reserve 50% of central government jobs for women from 2025 and ensure more women are appointed in various high-ranking positions.

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Youth empowerment

The BJP plans to address paper leaks, promote entrepreneurship among youngsters, and focus on employment generation through infrastructure development and expanding the tourism sector. Meanwhile, the Congress promises a Right to Apprenticeship Act, providing a one-year apprenticeship opportunity with private or public sector companies to every diploma holder or college graduate below 25. This initiative aims to enhance skills, employability, and provide full-time job opportunities for millions of youth.

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Farmers' welfare

The BJP pledges to continue the PM Kisan Nidhi scheme, strengthen crop insurance, and promote the production of nutritious vegetables. It also promises to support natural farming and crop diversification. In contrast, the Congress promises a legal guarantee for Minimum Support Prices (MSP) annually as per the Swaminathan Commission’s recommendations. Additionally, it vows to establish a Permanent Commission on Agricultural Finance to monitor agricultural credit and loan forbearance.

Infrastructure development

The BJP plans to expand the railway network, develop bullet trains, and improve rural roads, among other initiatives. Conversely, the Congress aims to attract private capital for creating public assets and modernize railway infrastructure to better serve the needs of commuters.