Gandhinagar: Implementation of the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) and setting up an 'anti-radicalisation' cell to identify and eliminate terror threats are the prominent promises in the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) manifesto for the next month's Gujarat Assembly elections released on Saturday.
It also promised to conduct surveys of madrassas (Islamic seminaries) and scrutinize the assets of the Waqf Board.
More than one lakh government jobs will be created for women over the next five years, it said.
Prime minister Narendra Modi tweeted the BJP's manifesto reveals the "foresight of development" of Gujarat.
Other promises in the document included the creation of "20 lakh employment opportunities" and taking the state's economy to USD one trillion in the next five years.
"The manifesto released today by @BJP4Gujarat reveals comprehensive foresight for the development of the state. We have been working hard for years and will work to elevate the people of Gujarat," the prime minister tweeted.
The manifesto was released at the state BJP headquarters by party president J P Nadda in the presence of Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel and state unit chief C R Paatil.
The annual cover for a family under the Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (Ayushman Bharat) would be doubled from Rs 5 lakh to Rs 10 lakh and girls will get free education from "KG to PG" (kindergarten to post-graduation), it said.
"We will ensure complete implementation of UCC in Gujarat as per recommendations of a state government committee. We will also create an Anti-radicalisation Cell to identify and eliminate potential threats and sleeper cells of terrorist organisations and anti-India forces," said Nadda.
On October 29, the Gujarat government announced that it would form a committee for the implementation of the UCC.
Other BJP-ruled states like Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand have also promised to implement the UCC.
As per the manifesto, a task force will be created to scrutinize the assets and finances of the Waqf Board, and surveys of madrassas (Islamic seminaries) would be conducted regarding their curriculum.
Its government will ensure rigorous imprisonment along with a financial penalty for forced conversions under the Gujarat Freedom of Religion (Amendment) Act 2021, it said.
The manifesto also promised to start the 'Mukhyamantri Sharanarthi Yojana' for the welfare of refugees in Gujarat who have been given citizenship under the Citizenship Amendment Act.
Under this scheme, a direct benefit transfer of Rs 10,000 per year will be made to each refugee family for five years after they have received citizenship.
Other facilities that the manifesto promises included single window clearance for Aadhaar, voter ID and ration cards, subsidised loans to start businesses as well as scholarships for school students and collegians.
The manifesto also promised the enactment of the 'Gujarat Recovery of Damages of Public and Private Properties Act' to recover the cost of damage caused to public and private properties by anti-social elements during riots and protests.
Other promises included setting up of two seafood parks in south Gujarat and Saurashtra region, free diagnostic service at health centres and approved laboratories for EWS households, setting up of three civil hospitals or 'Medi Cities', two AIIMS-level institutions and conversion of 20,000 government schools into the 'Schools of Excellence'.
The BJP also promised to establish four Gujarat Institutes of Technology on the lines of the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs).
Another assurance is to set up 100 'Annapurna canteens' across the state that will provide meals for Rs 5 three times a day.
The manifesto also promised expenditure of Rs 1 lakh crore under the 'Vanbandhu Kalyan Yojana 2.0' for the all-around social-economic development of tribals.
Eight medical colleges and as many industrial estates will be set up for tribal welfare, the party's poll promise document informed.
Talking about farmers, Nadda said the BJP, if voted to power, will spend Rs 10,000 crore for the overall development of APMCs, mandis, sorting and grading units, cold chains, warehouses and processing centres, while Rs 25,000 crore will be spent to strengthen the irrigation network.
"We will build a Devbhumi Dwarka Corridor to develop it as western India's biggest spiritual centre. It will have the world's tallest Sri Krishna statue, a 3D immersive Bhagvat Gita zone and a viewing gallery for the lost city of Dwarka," the manifesto stated.
The BJP also promised to invest Rs 1,000 crore to renovate, expand and promote temples on the lines of the Somnath Ambaji and Pavagadh temples.
The state will have two-phase Assembly polls on December 1 and 5, while votes will be counted on December 8. It is witnessing a three-cornered fight with the BJP, Congress and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in the fray.
