Ahead of the Bodoland Territorial Council elections (BTC) scheduled to be held in December this year, United People’s Party, Liberal (UPP-L) released its election manifesto on Saturday.

In the manifesto, UPP-L president Pramod Boro urged the people of Bodoland Territorial Region (BTR) to vote for the symbol ‘Tarctor Chalata Kishan’ and replace the current authoritative, corrupt, violent and unpopular government.

> Each and every clause of the Bodoland Territorial Region Accord within 2025.

> Ensure 100 per cent rehabilitation of all the surrendered members of the National Democratic Front of Bodoland as per clause 9 and 10 of the Bodoland Accord

> Will formulate an effective BTR Revenue Policy to generate atleast rupees one crore internal revenue from different sources.

> Ensure implementation of 100 per cent rooster and reservation system of central and state government in all the departments i.e. recruitment and admission in BTR for all.

> Ensure Financial Rehabilitation and One Concrete House and Toilet under BTR Awaj Yojana in line with the Pradhan Mantri Awaj Yojana to all enlisted victim families of 1993, 1996, 1998, 2008, 2012 and 2014 Ethnic Conflict and Internal Displacement.

> Ensure representation from all ethnic/ linguistic/religious communities to the Central Selection Board/Land Advisory Board, Other Boards and Committees.

> Set up Bodoland Education Mission (BEM) to ensure quality and quantitative educational development through targeting 80 % literacy in the council area within 5 years of government and simultaneously ensure quality education through implementing all existing policies and programmes with utmost sincerity.

> Ensure provincialization of all the bonafide venture schools and colleges as per clause 6.3 of BTR Accord within one year of coming to power.

> Regularize all the contractual TET Teachers working in the schools of BTR.

> Provide Special Scholarship Amounting to Rs. 1500/- to All Girls Studying Undergraduate and Postgraduate Courses in the public colleges and universities situated in BTR.

> Address the problems of 99 teachers (teachers appointed in 1999) from BTR.

> Recommend Subject Introduction of 8th Scheduled Languages and Medium of Instruction Languages in all the Universities of BTR and Assam.

> Will set-up one Competitive exam coaching center each in all districts and a special package of coaching in Delhi for IAS/IPS of Rs. 5 lacs for top 20 students and in Guwahati for ACS/APS of Rs. 2 lacs for top 20 students per year.

> Will set-up a Community College for dropout students on an experimental basis one in each district with formal education, vocational, technical and employable skills, language skills etc.

> Launch Special Health Card titled “Onfaori” for free of cost treatment in any health institution up to the limit of Rs. 200,000/- for an elderly person aged above 65 years.

> Provide health insurance to all the registered journalists to reduce the burden of health expenditures of journalists and their families.

> Creation of 10,000 jobs within 5 years in various government institutions and 5 lacs engagement through self-employment programme in 5 years.

> Special Financial Assistance to provide alternative livelihood to the country liquor sellers and firewood sellers of BTR.

> Set up Bodoland Handloom and Handicraft Mission.

> Setting of Spinning Mills based on Eri & Muga Silk.

> 100% Sustainable Irrigation within 2025 years in all the agriculture land in BTR.

> Farm machinery bank/hiring centre with the facility of tractors, power tiller, power pump, motor pump will be established in every VCDC for farmers.

> Provision of Bodoland Kishan Credit Card for farmers.

> BTR Organic Mission will be set up to make agriculture in the BTR fully organic by 2030.

> Enact legislation for 33% women reservation in Village Council/Municipal Corporation/Town Committees for adequate representation in spheres of governance.

> BTR Women Empowerment Mission by providing Rs. 75,000/- to Rs. 400,000/- to all the Women Self Help Group/Joint Liability Groups registered with BTR Rural Livelihood Mission. Set up a Bodoland Women Commission to guide and support the Council government in ensuring justice, development and participation of women in the council area.

> Formulate a Policy to ensure 33% women reservation in recruitment of all government jobs under BTC.

> Establishment of one women training cum information centre with internet connectivity in each VILLAGE COUNCIL in BTR.

> Provide financial assistance to widows, aged unmarried women and women victims to violence. Provide Annual Scholarship amounting to Rs. 5000/- (Rupees Five Thousand only) to the girls’ victims to ethnic conflict, insurgency movement, floods and other disasters.

> BTR Sports Development Policy to harness the best potentials of youths in the region to help local youths to achieve the best. Sports Scholarship to the sportsperson winning the recognized national and international competitions. Sports Pension to the Sports Eminent Veteran Sportspersons.
> Creation of a Reserve Quota for all unrepresented communities in the Council of BTR.

> Converting Ultapani Reserve Forest & Nonai Reserve Forest into Wild Life Sanctuary for protection and preservation of forest and transfer Orang National Park under BTR jurisdiction. Ensure effective implementation of Schedule Tribe and Other Forest Dweller’s (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act 2006.

> Kobi Guru Rabindranath Tagore Centre for Performing Art will be established centrally in Kokrajhar to encourage the research and practices of art and culture.

> Ensure 100%rehabilitation of surrendered militants i.e. Bengali Tiger Force, Adivashi Dragon Force, National Santhal Liberation Army, Bodoland Movement Volunteer Force and Workers, United Gorkha People’s Organization, Kamatapur Liberation Organization, Bodo Liberation Tigers and other surrendered militant groups.

> Ensure effective implementation of Schedule Tribe and Other Forest Dweller’s (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act 2006.

> Abdul Kalam Culture and Research Centre promote language, literature, art, culture etc of religious minority community

> Beda School in each district of BTR as demanded by Brahmin Samaj.
Special Assistance up to Rs. 100,000/- as Individual Beneficiary Scheme to Betel-nut processing entrepreneurs.

> Provide free of cost legal aid to genuine Indian Citizens excluded from final NRC List, people kept in detention camps and to people categorised as doubtful voters.

> Provide Rice and Wheat at Rs. 1 per Kilogram to all the Ration Card Holder as per the relevant provision of National Food Security Act, 2013.
Provision for Ration Card to every BPL family within 6 months of coming to governance.

> Bodoland Disability Inclusion Policy in line with the national and international policies to ensure rights of the persons with disability.

> Proper supply of electrification through NTPC, Salakati connecting major towns and villages of BTR, connections of electricity facilities in all villages under BTR within 2 years with 30 units free of cost charges.

> Promote a full-fledged TV Channel in memory of Jwhwlao Swmla Basumatary as media house of ‘Bodoland Radab’ which was first initiated by him as an editor in the year 1994

> Create Journalist Welfare Fund amounting to Rs. 10,00,000,00 (Rupees Ten Crore only) to ensure wellbeing and welfare of journalists.

> Provide journalist pension to 5 journalists aged above 60 years annually.

Meanwhile, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Assam Pradesh released its election manifesto at Triveni Bhawan in Kokrajhar in the presence of its party president Ranjit Dass, Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, Dilip Saikia, and Biswajit Daimary.

Releasing the manifesto, Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said that the party has emphasized on 50 issues of the BTC region. “The corruption and commission raj in the BTC will be stopped once BJP comes into power in the area. This saffron party will adhere to follow BTC accord. We will also decide if any village of the border wants to enter BTC,” said Himanta while speaking to reporters.

The manifesto also said that the Bodo and Assamese language will be given importance equally and that both the languages will be taken forward simultaneously. The minister further stated that the manifesto also emphasized on the permanent appointment to the youths.

It further stated that the people staying in government land in BTC has the right to get land pattas adding that the permission process for buying and selling of land will be completed in one month.

The BJP also assured that the party will establish colleges in every subdivision. The manifesto also said that if the BJP comes into power the VCDC in BTC will be immediately broken. The people of BTC will also be benefitted from the Arunodoi, Swayam, Arundhati schemes etc once the BJP comes into power, stated Himanta.

Another benefit to be provided by the BJP is that the Self Help Group (SHG) will get 50,000 rupees and that additional funds will be released from the Center for the developmental work of BTC.

Himanta Biswa Sarma further said that one Bodo University in Udalguri, one medical college in Tamulpur along with 40 stadiums will be set up once the BJP comes into power. He further stated that high schools will also be set up at the tea gardens in the BTC area.