Months to go for Gujarat polls: Congress promises loan waivers, unmetered electricity for farmers, cattle-herders

With months left for the Gujarat Assembly elections, the Congress Friday announced its sankalp patra or resolution for farmers and cattle-herders, which promises farm loan waivers, unmetered power supply and trade of agricultural produce only at price above the minimum support price (MSP).

The announcement was made by Gujarat Pradesh Congress Committee (GPCC) president Jagdish Thakor, former Union minister Bharatsinh Solanki, former GPCC president Arjun Modhwadia, Congress Legislature Party leader Sukhram Rathva and former Union minister Tushar Chaudhary at press conferences organised simultaneously in Ahmedabad, Rajkot, Vadodara and Surat respectively Friday.

The resolution makes 11 promises, including supplying electricity to farmers for 10 hours every day during daytime and removing meters from agricultural power connections and charging farmers on a per-day basis. The resolution also promises to waive farm loans up to Rs 3 lakh for each farmer and bring in a law prohibiting purchase of farmers’ produce below the government-fixed MSP.