Promising a minimum wage of Rs 18,000 per month, Minimum Support Price above 50% of the total cost of production for farmers and a halt in privatisation, CPIM on Thursday released its manifesto for the Lok Sabha elections 2019.
CPIM general secretary Sitaram Yechuri, Polit Bureau members Prakash Karat, Brinda Karat and S Ramachandran Pillai attended the press meet.
In the 35-page manifesto, CPIM appeals the Indian electorate to “defeat the BJP alliance”, to “increase the strength of the CPIM and the Left [parties] in the Lok Sabha” and to “ensure that an alternative secular government is formed at the Centre.”
The highlights of the manifesto are:
• Protect the secular principle and democratic rights enshrined in the
Constitution.
• Enforce the farmers’ right to sell their produce at a Minimum Support
Price, which is at least 50 per cent higher than the total cost of
production.
• Statutory minimum wage for workers of not less than Rs. 18,000 per
month; wages linked to Consumer Price Index.
• Universal public distribution system with provision of 35 kilograms of
foodgrains per family, or, 7 kg per individual at a maximum price of Rs.
2 per kg.
• Right to free health care; end private insurance led healthcare; public
expenditure on health to be raised to 5 per cent of GDP.
• Implement one-third reservation for women in Parliament and state
assemblies; take comprehensive steps to end violence against women
and children.
• Major expansion of public educational system – schools and higher
education – with quality upgradation; public expenditure on education to
be 6 per cent of GDP; end communalization of education system and
ensure its democratic character.
• Right to work as a Constitutional right; provision of unemployment
allowance for jobless.
• Old age pension with minimum monthly pension which is not less than
half the minimum wage, or, Rs. 6,000 per month, whichever is higher,
for all citizens.
• Halt privatisation of public sector enterprises and rollback privatisation in
defence, energy and railways and basic services.
• Reservation in jobs & education in private sector for SCs & STs.
• Raise taxes on rich and corporate profits; restore wealth tax for
super rich and introduce inheritance tax; restore long term capital gains
tax.
• Reform the electoral system by introduction of proportional
representation with partial list system; scrap electoral bonds; State
funding in kind for electoral expenses.
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