Derek o’brien’s column – Why are manifesto promises not fullfilled? , Derek O Bryan’s column: Why are the promises made in the manifesto not made?

Derek O Bryan, TMC leader in Rajya Sabha

Before the Lok Sabha elections, the BJP had published a 69-page manifesto. Let us look at some promises made in that manifesto and try to find out what their condition is today.

1. Promise: Expanding our efforts to protect the poor plate (p. 11). Reality: According to the World Bank, today 7.5 crore Indians earn less than Rs 225 per day. The poorest 5% of the people spend Rs 68 per day. While the price of a vegetarian plate is only 77 rupees.

2. Promise: Creating high -value jobs (p. 14). Reality: 46% workforce is in agriculture. Three out of every five are self -employment, which is not the best way to employment.

3. Promise: Women’s participation in the workforce (page 15). Reality: Between 2018-23, the ratio of women in employment-related activities increased just by 2.3% points. The time spent on employment-related activities increased just 10 minutes in five years. The labor force participation rate for women remains half compared to men.

4. Promise: Implementing Women’s Reservation Bill (Page 16). Reality: Bill was passed in 2023. It was connected to the census, which will be completed in 2027. There will be delimitation after the census. Only after these two, the bill can actually come into force. When?

5. Promise: Strengthen PM Kisan Yojana (page 22). Reality: Every day 30 farmers commit suicide. Between 2018-23, the actual wages in rural areas declined by 0.4% annually, while agricultural wages saw an increase of just 0.2% annually. The suggestion of the Parliamentary Committee to increase the funds was ignored.

6. Promise: Global Manufacturing Hub (p. 42). Reality: The contribution of the manufacturing sector declined from 12.3% of GDP in 2023 to 4.5% in 2024, which is below 2014. Over the last two years, only one of the ten people has been working in manufacturing. Between 2015 and 2024, the number of manufacturing MSMEs increased slightly more than 2%.

7. Promise: Extension of Train Safety System Kavach (page 45). Reality: In four years, this armor has been installed in only 2% routes and less than 1% engines. Given the current rate of progress, its implementation in the Indian Railway Network may take some decades.

8. Promise: Extension of bullet trains (page 46). Reality: In the 2014 railway budget, the bullet train project was announced with an estimated expenditure of Rs 60,000 crore. Today, despite spending more than Rs 71,000 crore after 11 years, less than half of the project has been completed.

9. Promise: Expansion of Expressway and Ring Road (page 47). Reality: In 2017, the government approved 34,800 km of projects under the Bharatmala Project. However, only half of these work has been completed. About 25 percent of the project has not yet been allocated.

10. Promise: Dealing corruption (page 54). Reality: In the last decade, only two of the 193 cases against MPs, MLAs and leaders have been convicted by ED in the last decade. A total of 5297 cases were registered by the ED in the last 11 years. Only 47 cases were taken to court for hearing. Out of every 1000 cases filed, only seven cases were found guilty.

11. Promise: Strengthen AIIMS (page 57). Reality: 18,737 posts are lying vacant in AIIMS hospitals across India. Of these, more than 2200 posts are related to faculty.

12. Promise: Extension of skill training for youth (p. 60). Reality: In India, one of the three youths neither education nor employment, nor training, and 95% of them are women. Only 4% of the youth have received formal skill training.

(These are the writer’s own views. This writer’s assistant researcher is Dhimant Jain.)