AAP: No property tax, Rs 5 meal, free laptops

Chandigarh : The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) today released its “complete” election manifesto, promising more, including stern action against drug smugglers and those behind the recent incidents of sacrilege in Punjab. It had earlier issued manifestoes for various categories.
The party has promised to end property tax on houses, slash power bills by half up to 400 units and cashless medical treatment in private hospitals up to Rs 5 lakh for all. It has pledged three more medical colleges, free laptops to Class IX students in government schools, free power to farmers and a hike in old-age pension to Rs 2,500 per month.It has reiterated it will make Punjab farmers debt-free by December 2018, create 25 lakh jobs for the unemployed youth and rid Punjab of drugs within a month. AAP campaign committee chairman Bhagwant Mann and Dialogue Committee convener Kanwar Sandhu released the manifesto here. Mann said besides waiving debt, the farmers would be paid compensation for crop damage at the rate of Rs 20,000 per acre whereas farm labourers would get Rs 10,000. He said Sir Chhotu Ram Act of 1934 on farm debts would be implemented. Promising that the drug mafia would be smashed in a month, Mann said addicts would be sent to rehab centres and brought back to the mainstream within six months.  An SIT would be formed to probe cases of sacrilege and police firing on “innocent Sikhs” at Behbal Kalan and the guilty brought to book. To boost trade and industry, “inspector raj” would be abolished and sick units in industrial towns, such as Mandi Gobindgarh, revived.Every primary school would have at least five teachers, 29,000 vacancies of teachers would be filled and another 30,000 posts created. Every village would have a clinic and every town “mohalla clinics” on the Delhi pattern.