ARs 100 crore trust for the Telangana martyrs in the name of Prof Jayashankar and increasing the age of retirement for Government employees to 60 from 58 years was among the highlights of the Congress manifesto for Telangana.
The move to form a trust in order to help the families whose kin have committed suicide fighting for the statehood of Telangana was being seen as part of the race between the Congress and the Telangana Rashtra Samiti to project themselves as real champions of the separate Telangana State.
Telangana supporters claim that more than 900 Telangana youth and students committed suicide during the last five years fighting for its statehood.Party has also promised the reorganisation of Telangana State by creating ten new districts. Telangana, which will formally become a separate State on June 2 has ten districts currently.
The Congress party, however, has also promised to continue Seven-hour free electricity for farmers, full salaries to the employees who participated in the mass strike in 2012 in support of Telangana, recruitment of 100,000 employees in the first year, increasing the age limit for Government jobs to 40 years and regularising contract employees who have completed eight years of service. The Congress also promised to give jobs to 100,000 people in every districts in next three years.
The manifesto was released by Union Minister and senior party leader Jairam Ramesh in the presence of the Telangana Congress Committee president Ponnala lakshmaiah, manifesto committee chairman Sridhar Babu and others. The party has also promised special sub-plan for the backward classes and minorities on the lines of sub plan for the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes implemented by the State Congress Government. For women the party has promised Rs 1 lakh incentive to each of the women self-help groups. The Congress also promised to get Pranahita-Chevella irrigation project status of a national project.