Thiruvananthapuram: The Kerala BJP on Monday released its manifesto for the upcoming Assembly elections, promising a monthly Rs 2,500 coupon for women from families below the poverty line.
The manifesto was unveiled at an event in Edappazhanji by BJP national president Nitin Nabin, in the presence of state president Rajeev Chandrasekhar and NDA coordinator Tushar Vellappally.
Among the key welfare pledges is a “food and health security card” worth Rs 2,500 per month, which can be used to buy medicines and grocery essentials. The party also promised two free LPG cylinders a year—one each during Onam and Christmas—and a monthly welfare pension of Rs 3,000 for women, widows and senior citizens above 70.
On infrastructure and public services, the BJP said it would set up an AIIMS hospital, build a high-speed rail corridor linking Thiruvananthapuram and Kannur, and launch new Metro services in Thiruvananthapuram and Kozhikode. It also pledged to introduce optional English-medium education in government schools in phases over the next five years.
The manifesto further promised assured minimum support price for all crops, 20,000 litres of free drinking water per household every month, and legal changes to enable intercropping by amending horticulture-related and forest laws. It also said low-interest loans of up to Rs 1 lakh would be provided as an employment-linked incentive for firms creating new jobs in Kerala, and pledged a CBI probe at an appropriate time into the Sabarimala gold theft, along with reforms to Devaswom boards and an infrastructure development plan for Sabarimala.
