Grand Alliance releases Bihar poll manifesto, pledges change

Patna: The Grand Alliance in Bihar on Saturday released its joint election manifesto or ‘Sankalp Patra’, and reiterated its commitment to give 10 lakh jobs to the state’s youths and waive farm loans if it returned to power.
Entitled ‘Our Pledge for Change’, the manifesto was released by Rashtriya Janata Dal leader Tejashwi Yadav in the presence of Congress leader Randeep Singh Surjewala and other Grand Alliance or Mahagathbandhan partner leaders.
The manifesto promises to waive fees for various recruitment examinations in Bihar, apart from travel cost of candidates to the examination centres. Candidates of all castes and communities will be exempted from fee payable for government recruitment. They will also be able to travel free of cost from district headquarters to the examination centres inside the state.
It also promises ‘same pay for same work’ for contract teachers, apart from opening Karpuri labour distress centres.
One person from each rural family would be included under MGNREGA, and policies made to create more jobs under this scheme. Privatisation in every government department will be abolished and casual employees made permanent in the same departments, the manifesto promised.
Taking a dig at the Nitish Kumar government, Tejashwi said Bihar had failed to get special status even when a ‘double engine’ government was in power in the state and the Centre. “Will US President Donald Trump come to get Bihar the special status?” he asked.