Highlighting its achievements in various sectors, the manifesto of the Congress party for the Karnataka assembly election has announced roadmaps in various sectors, including agriculture, industrial development and information technology.
The State-level manifesto for 2018-23, which was released by Congress president Rahul Gandhi in Mangaluru on Friday, highlighted its achievements and announced plans for 16 sectors.
Proposing the creation of an agricultural corridor for the State, the manifesto said that the party will launch an initiative for developing a sustainable agri-business through an ‘agricultural corridor for Karnataka’ covering production, infrastructure and industrial segments on an end-to-end concept.
With 10 agro-climatic zones, the State offers good opportunities for high growth in agriculture and allied sectors, it said.
The Congress also proposed to set up a statutory farmers’ income commission to ensure basic livelihood for farmers, agri-labourers and agricultural households.
It also proposed the establishment of a new ‘organic farming department’ under the Ministry of Agriculture to ensure a 100 per cent pesticide-free State. For coffee growers in the State, the Congress promised that the Coffee Board would intensify research, in association with private research organisations, on the white stem borer in coffee plantations.
The party also proposed to create a brand for the coffee produced in Karnataka. For pepper growers, it promised to remove the APMC cess on pepper to boost prices.
Industrial development
The party said that it would build a prosperous Karnataka through inclusive, sustainable and balanced industrial development, creating employment opportunities in the State. The Congress said that it will initiate single-window clearance for projects under the Karnataka Facilitation Act, 2002, through an online portal, including registrations and approvals of 15 line departments.
Stating that many MSMEs operate on a low scale, the manifesto said steps will be taken to aggregate their production, brand and sell them to larger and distant markets to realise a better value. Apart from this, the Congress said it would take steps to establish MSME development centres across the State where there is a concentration of MSMEs.
On information technology (IT), the party said that the sector will be expanded to contribute to more than 25 per cent of state GSDP and 33 per cent of the total technology-related business of India.
IT will be made as an important driver of the State economy by increasing its contribution from the current $60 billion to $300 billion.
A start-up entrepreneurial ecosystem will be evolved in the State, and the state will be made a leading destination globally for start-ups by increasing the number of start-ups to 20,000 with about 5,000 of them assisted by venture capital funding, it said.