Kejriwal announces '10 guarantees' for Lok Sabha Elections
What's the story
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has announced 10 "Kejriwal ki Guarantee" for the Lok Sabha elections. He explained that the announcement was delayed due to his arrest by the Enforcement Directorate (ED). Now that he's out on bail, he said he plans to discuss these guarantees with the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA). "I take this guarantee that after the INDIA alliance comes to power, I will make sure that these guarantees are implemented," he said.
Power promise
Kejriwal pledges continuous electricity and education reform
First up is free electricity. Kejriwal has pledged to provide 200 units of free electricity to economically disadvantaged households across the country if INDIA is voted to power. His second promise is to improve the condition of government schools. He said if voted to power, government schools would provide better education than private schools. "₹5 lakh crores will be required for this. State governments will give ₹2.5 lakh crores and central government will give ₹2.5 crore for this," he said.
Health and security
Kejriwal's commitment to healthcare and national security
Kejriwal has also committed to establishing Mohalla clinics in every village and locality, as well as upgrading district hospitals to multi-speciality facilities. He said every person born in this country will get free treatment. ₹5 lakh crore will be spent on healthcare, he added. On national security, he vowed to grant full autonomy to the army to "reclaim land from China" and pursue diplomatic efforts for territorial integrity. He also plans on discontinuing the Agniveer scheme under his leadership.
Farmers and statehood
Kejriwal's pledge for farmers' welfare and Delhi statehood
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) convenor also addressed farmers' welfare, promising fair compensation for crops based on the Swaminathan report to ensure farmers lead dignified lives. He also pledged full statehood for Delhi, a long-standing demand of its residents. Also among the 10 promises are job opportunities. Kejriwal has promised that an INDIA bloc government would generate two crore new jobs annually to tackle unemployment.
Jobs and accountability
Kejriwal's strategy to tackle unemployment and corruption
Dismantling the "Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) protectionist measures" and ensuring accountability for all is also among the 10 promises. The last promise is to simplify GST by removing it from Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) regulations and aim to outperform China in the manufacturing sector. Kejriwal, who was granted interim bail by the Supreme Court in the excise policy case on Friday, will have to surrender and go back to jail on June 2.