The Congress unveiled its manifesto, titled ‘Nyay Patra,’ for the upcoming 2024 Lok Sabha elections, in a significant event held at the AICC headquarters in New Delhi on Friday. The release witnessed the participation of prominent leaders from the party ranks, including Mallikarjun Kharge, Sonia Gandhi, and Rahul Gandhi, former party presidents. This unveiling comes just days ahead of the crucial general elections.

At the core of the manifesto lie the ‘five pillars of justice,’ termed as ‘Paanch Nyay,’ which encompass ‘Yuva Nyay,’ ‘Naari Nyay,’ ‘Kisaan Nyay,’ ‘Shramik Nyay,’ and ‘Hissedari Nyay.’ These pillars underscore the party’s commitment to addressing various societal and economic issues through targeted measures.

Key highlights from the Congress manifesto ‘Nyay Patra’ include:

1. The pledge to fill approximately 30 lakh vacancies across different levels within the central government.
2. Ensuring a national minimum wage of ₹400 per day.
3. Adopting the Rajasthan model of cashless insurance, providing coverage of up to ₹25 lakh for universal healthcare.
4. Providing legal guarantees for Minimum Support Price (MSP) as recommended by the Swaminathan Commission.
5. Upholding the freedom of choice for minorities in matters of dress, food, language, and personal laws, with a focus on encouraging reforms in personal laws.
6. Committing to conducting a nationwide socio-economic and caste Census, alongside raising the cap on reservations for SC, ST, and OBC communities through constitutional amendments.
7. Abolishing application fees for government examinations and posts, while also providing relief to students by writing off unpaid educational loans.
8. Introducing legislation to recognize civil unions within the LGBTQIA+ community.
9. Enhancing government pensions for senior citizens, widows, and persons with disabilities to ₹1,000 per month.
10. Reserving 50% of central government jobs for women starting from 2025.
11. Implementing measures to ensure transparency and accountability in sports federations, alongside providing sports scholarships to young athletes.
12. Launching the Mahalakshmi scheme, offering an unconditional cash transfer of ₹1 lakh annually to impoverished Indian families.
13. Proposing amendments to election laws to combine the efficiency of electronic voting machines (EVMs) with the transparency of voter-verifiable paper audit trails (VVPATs).
14. Undertaking to amend laws to safeguard personal freedoms, including addressing defection issues in political parties.
15. Strengthening the Press Council of India Act, 1978, to combat fake news and paid news effectively.
16. Setting ambitious targets for economic growth, aiming to double the GDP in the next decade.
17. Introducing GST 2.0 to replace existing GST laws, emphasizing a single, moderate tax rate that doesn’t burden the economically disadvantaged.

Furthermore, the manifesto outlines the party’s stance on foreign relations, including initiatives to repair relations with neighboring countries like the Maldives and address border issues with China.

The release of the Congress manifesto marks a crucial step in outlining the party’s vision and commitments for the forthcoming elections, presenting a comprehensive roadmap for governance and development if elected to power.