MVA agenda: Jobs, meals for poor, farm loan waivers

Mumbai: The Shiv Sena, Congress and NCP on Thursday unveiled their Common Minimum Programme (CMP), which highlights their alliance’s “commitment to upholding the secular values enshrined in the Constitution”.

The preamble of CMP reads: “On contentious issue of national importance as well as of state importance especially having repercussions/ consequences on the secular fabric of the nation, the Shiv Sena, the NCP and the Congress will take a joint view after holding consultations and arriving at a consensus.”

The CMP promises to introduce a law that will reserve 80 per cent jobs in the state for the Marathi manoos as well as the provision of meals to the poor and needy at `10 — both of which were promised in the Shiv Sena’s election manifesto.

Farmers’ issues also feature prominently in the Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government’s CMP, which states that an immediate loan waiver will be provided to farmers and that the crop insurance scheme will be revised to ensure immediate compensation.

“In Maharashtra, farmers are facing problems. This government will do its best for them,” Sena minister Eknath Shinde said while releasing the CMP.

The CMP also focuses on unemployment, women’s issues, education, urban development, health, industry, social justice, tourism, arts and cultural issues.

The document states that a process should be initiated on an immediate basis to fill up all vacant posts in various state government departments.

It also proposes free education for girls from weaker section, an increase in the honorarium of anganwadi sevikas and the strengthening of women’s self-help groups.

The CMP also seeks to improve the standard of education in the state as well as the quality of education for the children of weaker sections of society.

It also emphasises on the construction of new roads and maintaining the quality of existing ones while a mention has been made of providing 500 square-feet homes under the slum rehabilitation scheme instead of 300 square-foot ones. New policies will also be made to attract investors to boost the industrial sector, according to the document.

The programme also highlights the importance of delivering social justice to members of the backward caste community as well as minorities.