BJP promises 3 free gas cylinders, affordable housing in Goa poll manifesto

The BJP has also promised to make Goa into an international football destination, while also assuring to turn the state's economy into a $50 billion powerhouse

he Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Tuesday promised to make Goa a USD 50 billion economy in the next 10 years and resolved to provide three free LPG cylinders to every household, restore mining activities besides housing for all as the party unveiled its manifesto for the February 14 assembly polls in the coastal state.

Union Minister Nitin Gadkari, in presence of chief minister Pramod Sawant and Goa BJP president Sadanand Shet Tanavade, unveiled the manifesto that speaks about "empowering the future of Goa, increasing tourism activities, restoring legal mining and eliminating multidimensional poverty in the state.

The ruling party said, "We will through constant efforts propel Goa to a growth trajectory that will enable the state to become a USD 50 billion economy in the next ten years."

The BJP, which has fielded candidates in all the 40 assembly constituencies, promised to completely eliminate "multidimensional poverty" in the coastal state in the next five years. We will deliver social welfare benefits to the poor in a timely manner and through direct benefit transfers. We will increase the old age pension under DDSSY (Deen Dayal Swasthya Seva Yojana) to Rs 3,000 per month, the manifesto said.

In an important assurance, the BJP promised to restore mining activities (suspended since 2018), a key source of revenue for the state, within six months of returning to power through Goa Mineral Development Corporation and auction of iron ore blocks through "transparent leasing and by following the due process of law".

The party vowed to double the number of annual tourist arrivals in the state in the next five years by harnessing the potential for inland tourism, medical tourism and promoting heritage and spiritual tourism while augmenting the current infrastructure around adventure sports and beach tourism.

The ruling party promised to make Goa an Asian hub for meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions ((MICE), a key segment of the tourism industry. On sports front, the BJP assured to launch Mission Gold Coast to groom an Olympic gold medallist for India from Goa.

Wooing women voters, the party said it will provide three free LPG cylinders to every household in Goa (in a year) to ease the financial burden on homemakers. We shall provide good quality housing for all Goans in the next five years by providing home loans for deserving families at an interest rate of two per cent for women and four per cent for men and developing and providing residential plots, the manifesto said.

The party assured to launch a Manohar Parrikar Kalyan Fund which will be a common development fund of up to Rs three crore for every panchayat and up to Rs five crore for every municipality to boost infrastructure.

The BJP said on returning to power, its government will put a ceiling on taxes on petrol and diesel to control their prices in the coastal state.