TELUGU DESAM PARTY

With Andhra Pradesh Assembly polls scheduled in April, the Telugu Desam Party president, Mr N Chandrababu Naidu, on Thursday, released the party's manifesto, promising to implement a slew of measures aimed at empowering every section of the society.

While releasing the manifesto at the NTR Trust Bhavan in Hyderabad, he said, "Ensuring economic, food and health security would be top on the agenda of TDP if voted to power in this month's poll."

Prime among the promises made by TDP in its 64-page manifesto are a unique cash transfer scheme for the vulnerable sections, free colour television to families living below poverty line, comprehensive health insurance covering ailments from fever to heart problems, creation of 1,250 Modern Development Corridors for generation of about 25 lakh jobs, creation of a Rs 1,000 crore market stabilisation fund for the agriculture sector.

Besides this, a monthly unemployment benefit of Rs 1,000 to unemployed youth, creation of 50 lakh jobs in government and private sectors as well as self-employment, special grants to entrepreneurs for setting up industries in rural areas and supply of cooking gas for Rs 150 per cylinder has also been promised.

The government would create a Rs 5,000 crore corpus fund and also pool up another Rs 5,000 crore from banks as loan for employment generation through industrial development.

Chandrababu said, "This would give major boost to the economy besides empowering the youth."

The TDP leader, on Telangana, said they would take all required legal and political steps for creation of a separate state.

Under the CTS, a poorest of the poor family would get Rs 2,000, a poor family Rs 1,500 and a middle-class family Rs 1,000 a month.

The TDP chief said,"All eligible poor would be provided housing at Rs 1 lakh per unit."

Observing that television was the "prime source of infotainment and not a luxury",the TDP president promised to distribute free color TV sets to those from poor economic background. He also promised to enact a legislation to check political corruption in the state.

Chief Minister YS Rajasekhara Reddy and his family stand testimony to the unabashed political corruption. The TDP chief said, the election affidavits filed by the chief minister and his son Jaganmohan Reddy in 2004 and 2009 speak volumes of their personal wealth creation.

Stating that the agriculture sector too would be promoted to the international level on par with the Information Technology sector, he said, an Agriculture Development Authority would be set up.