Ringing in a freebie culture similar to that practised in Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu, the Karnataka BJP on Friday promised 16 lakh students free laptops and the poor 25 kg of rice at Re 1.
The annual bill for the largesse is expected to be in excess of Rs 5,500 crore.
While free laptops alone are expected to cost upwards of Rs 4,200 crore (at Rs 25,000
per laptop), the rice bill will work out to over Rs 1,300 crore. The promise of nearly free rice is targeted at 98 lakh families.
The party’s manifesto promises a project to teach correct English in Kannada-medium schools. Free Wi-Fi will accompany free laptops in government-run schools and colleges. Bangalore, which voted massively for the BJP in 2008 but seems to be veering away, has been wooed with a 108-like helicopter ambulance to ensure quick delivery of emergency health services.
“We are 100% sure the party will come back to power and we will implement the assurances made in the manifesto as soon as possible,” chief minister Jagadish Shettar and BJP troubleshooter Arun Jaitley said after releasing the manifesto.
The 19-point manifesto assures Bangaloreans of a new master plan for the city’s development.
A Bangalore Region Metropolitan Governance Bill will be enacted. The government had spoken about this but failed to even start the process. It talks of metropolitan planning committees/ boards to plan and coordinate the activities of various agencies, and of directly electing a mayor with a five-year term.
Apartments and housing complexes that reuse/recycle water will get a discount on water bills.
Lessons in cultural nationalism and moral values, priority to Kannada-medium students and introduction of yoga in school syllabus are among the many education-sector promises.
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