Bangalore:
Former Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa's Karnataka Janata Party today promised to waive farmers' loans and allocate Rs 2,000 crore for Muslims in the budget in its poll manifesto.
Farmers above the age of 65 would be given monthly pension of Rs 500 and loans of up to Rs 1 lakh by cooperatives to farmers, weavers and fishermen would be waived, the KJP manifesto, released by Mr Yeddyurappa who quit the BJP late last year, said.
The party said Rs 2,000 crore would be reserved in the budget for the development of Muslims and creation of basic amenities and self-employment for them. Christians would get a budget allocation of Rs 250 crore in the budget for their development.
A stringent law will be passed for protection of women, with non-bailable cases being booked against the culprits, it said.
"Potable drinking water will be supplied and toilets built in all villages of the state," Mr Yeddyurappa said. "All pending irrigation projects will be completed within five years. 5,000 MW will be generated to completely remove power shortage and help agriculture and industrial sector".
The 'Bhagyalakshmi' (insurance for a girl child) and 'Sandhya Suraksha' (pension) schemes, pet projects of Yeddyurappa during his 38-month-tenure targeted at families in the below poverty line, would be extended to the middle-class.
A capital investment of Rs 1 lakh each would be given to the 1.75 lakh self-help women groups besides providing them necessary training and work sheds to produce different varieties of useful products. The government will also take responsibility of marketing materials produced by them.
A women cooperative bank would be established involving all these self-help groups and women engaged in self-employment. The government will release Rs 2,000 crore to this bank and loan at the rate of one per cent interest would be advanced to women.