[I. Pls. visit the site (of foreword by Rahul Gandhi, at sl. no. I. below) and take note of the visual. It has a message embedded, in addition to what has been articulated in words. Sincere or not, the message is very much there and needs be taken note of.
II. Those of us for whom opposing the Congress, tooth and nail, was very much an integral part of our upbringing, it's a not an easy situation. There are very many valid misgivings. A very common way, from that standpoint, is to depict today's situation as an option between the "greater" evil and the "lesser" evil. Unfortunately, and very unfortunately, that's just not the case. It's a clear option between courting a sure disaster - committing hara-kiri, and a serious attempt to dodge it, at least for a while, in order to gain time and space to prepare for the next fight. Success, whether short term or long term, is far from guaranteed. But, today, we can hardly afford the luxury of suicidal idiocy, in the name of (some opaque) "principle". Just today, a report has come from Tamil Nadu that a flying squad of the Election Commission (!) has forcibly taken away all the copies of a Tamil book on the Rafale scam to be released (ref.: < https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/ec-stays-launch-of-book-on-rafale-deal/article26710956.ece?fbclid=IwAR2xS1BRQy4fDGR30kgbbwSuCDmXEuaX3oRIKkQNw5qzpDRsYTrt9UPTfVs>, regardless of the fact that the release has due EC clearance, from the publisher. That's where we've arrived today, at the end of a five-year term. Now, the issue is whether we'd continue our journey towards the inevitable disaster, at a higher and still higher pace, or will be able to apply the brake and then reverse? Reproduced below is the foreword to the Congress Manifesto. Also the main 15 points. And a collective appeal by a large number of conscientious and eminent writers.] I/III. https://manifesto.inc.in/en/index.html (Congress launched its manifesto today. Please read it here: manifesto.inc.in. This is our commitment to you, Congress will deliver - Yours, Rahul Gandhi) CONGRESS WILL DELIVER MANIFESTO 2019 Foreword by Rahul Gandhi Election 2019 presents a stark choice to the people of India. Will India be a free and democratic country, and will the people of India be free from fear, free to live, work, pray, eat, love and marry according to their wishes; be free from poverty, and free to pursue their ambitions? Or will India be governed by a pernicious ideology that will trample upon people’s rights, our institutions, conventions and the healthy differences that are the essence of a multi-cultural country? Will India be able to lift all our people with the tide of growth, and will it get rid of poverty - or, will India become a country marked by gross inequalities of income, wealth and power? The last 5 years have been disastrous for the people of India. The youth have lost jobs. Farmers have lost hope. Traders have lost business. Micro, small and medium enterprises have lost their confidence. Women have lost the sense of security. Deprived communities have lost their traditional rights. Institutions have lost independence. The harshest blow is that our citizens have lost their faith in the words of the Prime Minister and his Government. He has given us only grandiose promises, empty slogans, failed programmes, false statistics and an overall climate of fear, intimidation and hatred. In this time of deep crisis, the Indian National Congress promises a clean break from the past 5 years. With this manifesto, the Congress offers to you the only national alternative: a distinct alternative that is unwavering in its commitment to truth, freedom, dignity, self-respect, and prosperity for our people. We promise to make India strong and united, and a just and prosperous society. Our manifesto process reflects our commitment to a higher vision - that of listening to the Jan Awaaaz. It is not the ‘mann ki baat’ of one individual but the collective voice of lakhs of people. We have used all possible tools – website, WhatsApp, email, online petitions, along with meetings with citizens, experts, stakeholders and grassroots activists. Between October 2018 and February 2019, many of you engaged in a conversation with the Congress, in at least 16 languages, through the medium most easily available to you. Our Manifesto Committee organised 121 consultations with the public and 53 consultations with experts such as farmers, entrepreneurs, economists, students, teachers, women’s groups, doctors, lawyers and many others. We held consultations in over 60 locations across 24 States and 3 Union Territories. We also met with NRI representatives from over 12 countries. I have personally been listening to people’s voices from all corners of our country. Every single word in the Congress manifesto reflects your voices and the aspirations of crores of Indians. It is an action plan for the future of India. You inspired this manifesto. It is a living manifesto. Now, it needs your support and your vote. We will present a report to the people of India, every year, on the status of implementation of our manifesto. We will also set up an independent social audit group, which will make its own assessment of how and to what extent we have fulfilled our promises. This is our commitment. Congress promises. Congress delivers. Kaam Daam Shaan Samman Sushasan Swabhimaan II. https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=forums&srcid=MDkzMzQxNDY4MDA2ODI0NzY2MDABMTQ3OTU1OTc0ODIwNzcyMzI3MjIBek9tUmVRTW5BZ0FKATAuMQEBdjI&authuser=0 *1. Minimum Income Guarantee To Eliminate Poverty Or Nyuntam Aay Yojana (NYAY)* To ensure a life of dignity to all Indians, Congress will introduce the Nyuntam Aay Yojana (NYAY) under which Rs. 72,000/year will be transferred to the poorest 20 per cent house- holds in India. It will be transferred to the woman in the household, as far as possible. *2. Jobs Revolution* To the youth of India, Congress pledges to make jobs our no.1 priority, both in the public and private sector. We will ensure 34 lakh jobs in the public sector by; *a*. Filling all 4 lakh central government vacancies before March 2020. *b.* Persuading the state governments to fill their 20 lakh vacancies. *c.* Creating an estimated 10 lakh new Seva Mitra positions in every gram panchayat and urban local body. We will also provide a fillip to private sector jobs by; *a.* Rewarding businesses for job creation and employing more women, *b.* Requiring businesses with over 100 employees to implement an apprenticeship programme. *3. Farmers And Farm Labour* For farmers, Congress promises to put them on the path from “Karz Maafi”, to “Karz Mukti”. This will be done through remunerative prices, lower input costs, and assured access to institutional credit. We will present a separate “Kisan Budget” every year. We will also establish a permanent National Commission on Agricultural Development and Planning. 4. *Universal Healthcare* Congress promises to enact the Right to Healthcare Act and guarantee every citizen free diagnostics, out-patient care, free medicines and hospitalisation, through a network of public hospitals and enlisted private hospitals. We will double expenditure on healthcare to 3 per cent of GDP by 2023-24. *5. GST 2.0* Congress will radically simplify the GST regime with a single moderate rate of tax, zero rating of exports, and exemption for essential goods and services. We also promise panchayats and municipalities a share of GST revenues. *6. Armed Forces and Paramilitary Forces* Congress will reverse the trend of declining defence spending under the NDA govern- ment, and increase it to meet the requirements of the Armed Forces. We will expedite all modernisation programmes of the Armed Forces in a transparent manner. We will improve social security, education and health facilities for our Paramilitary Forces and families. *7. Quality Education For Every Child* Congress promises that school education from Class I to Class XII in public schools shall be compulsory and free. We will especially focus on learning outcomes. Schools will have ad- equate infrastructure and qualified teachers. To achieve this, we will double the allocation for Education to 6 per cent of GDP by 2023-24. *8. Gender Justice* Congress promises to pass in the first session of the 17th Lok Sabha the Women’s Reser- vation Bill reserving 33 percent of seats for women in the Lok Sabha and the State Legisla- tive Assemblies. Congress will also reserve 33 percent of all posts/vacancies in the Central Government for women. *9. Adivasis* We will implement, in letter and spirit, the Forest Rights Act, 2006 and secure for the Scheduled Tribes the rights guaranteed under the Act. No forest dweller will be unjustly evicted. We will establish a National Commission for Non-Timber Forest Produce. To improve the livelihood and income of Adivasis, we will offer Minimum Support Prices for NTFP. *10. Right to Homestead* We will pass the Right to Homestead Act to provide a piece of land for every rural house- hold that does not own a home or own land on which a house may be built. *11. End to Hate Crimes* In the last 5 years under the NDA Government, hate crimes and atrocities against vulner- able sections of the people have increased manifold. Congress promises to end the sense of impunity, stamp out mob violence and lynching, and prevent atrocities and hate crimes against the SC, ST, women and minorities. Congress will hold accountable the police and district administration for proven negligence in the case of riots, mob violence and hate crimes. *12. Celebrating Freedom* Congress promises to uphold the values enshrined in the Constitution of India and pro- tect their freedoms, including the freedom to dissent. Congress will pass a law on privacy; restrict the use of Aadhaar to the original purposes of the Aadhaar Act; protect the rights of every citizen especially students, journalists, academics, artists, civil society activists and NGOs. Congress will review all laws and repeal those that are outdated, unjust or unrea- sonably restrict the freedom of the people. *13. Protecting Our Institutions* Congress promises to revitalise the institutions that were brazenly undermined in the last 5 years such as RBI, ECI, CIC, CBI, etc. Congress will restore their dignity, authority and autonomy while making them accountable to Parliament. In order to ensure free and fair elections, we will abolish the opaque electoral bonds introduced by the NDA government and set up a National Election Fund that will be allocated at the time of elections to recognised political parties. *14. Cities and Urban Governance* Congress promises a comprehensive policy on urbanisation to address issues concerning our towns and cities, including city governance, livelihoods, housing, habitat, pollution, climate change, urban transport and disaster management. For the urban poor, we promise the Right to Housing and protection from arbitrary eviction, and a Slum Upgradation and Transformation Scheme. We will introduce a new model of governance for towns and cities through directly elected mayors. We will transform cities into engines of economic growth. *15. Environment and Climate Change* Congress promises an action agenda that will place India at the forefront of the battle against global warming and environmental protection. We recognise that air pollution is a national public health emergency and will significantly strengthen the National Clean Air Programme. Forests, wildlife, water bodies, rivers, clean air and coastal zones are precious natural resources that belong to the people and we will protect them. We will set up an independent, empowered and transparent Environment Protection Authority, redefine the role of the Forest Departments and increase our forest cover. III. https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/full-text-more-than-200-writers-appeal-to-citizens-against-hate-politics/article26703789.ece Full text: More than 200 writers appeal to citizens against hate politics APRIL 01, 2019 20:32 IST UPDATED: APRIL 01, 2019 22:42 IST *Here is the full text of a statement issued by over 200 writers as an appeal to citizens to vote against hate politics.* The upcoming election finds our country at the crossroads. Our Constitution guarantees all its citizens equal rights, the freedom to eat, pray and live as they choose, freedom of expression and the right to dissent. But in the last few years, we have seen citizens being lynched or assaulted or discriminated against because of their community, caste, gender, or the region they come from. Hate politics has been used to divide the country; create fear; and exclude more and more people from living as full-fledged citizens. Writers, artists, filmmakers, musicians and other cultural practitioners have been hounded, intimidated, and censored. Anyone who questions the powers-that-be is in danger of being harassed or arrested on false and ridiculous charges. All of us want this to change. We don’t want rationalists, writers and activists to be hounded or assassinated. We want stern measures against violence in word or deed against women, dalits, adivasis and minority communities. We want resources and measures for jobs, education, research, healthcare and equal opportunities for all. Most of all, we want to safeguard our diversity and let democracy flourish. How do we do this? How do we bring about the change we need so urgently? There are many things we need to do and can do. But there is a critical first step. *The first step, the one we can take soon, is to vote out hate politics.* Vote out the division of our people; vote out inequality; vote against violence, intimidation and censorship. *This is the only way we can vote for an India that renews the promises made by our Constitution. This is why we appeal to all citizens to vote for a diverse and equal India.* AJ Thomas AR Venkatachalapathy Abhay Maurya Adil Jussawalla Ajai Singh Akeel Bilgrami Ali Javid Alok Rai Amit Chaudhuri Amit Bhaduri Amitav Ghosh Anand Anand Teltumbde Ananya Vajpeyi Ania Loomba Anil Joshi Anita Nair Anita Ratnam Anita Thampi Anjali Purohit Anupama HS Anuradha Kapur Anuradha Marwah Anvar Ali Apoorvanand Arjumand Ara Arjun Dangle Arun Kamal Arunava Sinha Arundhati Roy Arvind Krishna Mehrotra Asad Zaidi Asghar Wajahat Ashok Vajpeyi Ashokan Charuvil Ashwani Kumar Atamjit Singh B Rajeevan Badri Raina Bajrang Bihari Tiwari Bali Singh Bama Basharat Peer Benyamin Bhasha Singh Bina Sarkar Ellias CS Chandrika Chaman Lal Chandradasan Chandrakant Patil Civic Chandran Dalip Kaur Tiwana Damodar Mauzo Datta Damodar Naik Deepan Sivaraman Devdan Chaudhuri Devendra Chaube Devi Prasad Mishra Dinesh Kumar Shukla E Santhoshkumar EV Ramakrishnan GN Devy Gagan Gill Gauhar Raza Geeta Kapur Geetanjali Shree Girdhar Rathi Girish Karnad Githa Hariharan Govind Prasad Gulam Mohammed Sheikh HS Shivaprakash Hansda Sowvendra Shekhar Hariyash Rai Harsh Mander Hemant Divate Hemlata Maheshwar Hiralal Rajasthani Huchangi Prasad Ishrat Syed J Devika JM Parakh Jaidev Taneja Jaishree Misra Jeet Thayil Jerry Pinto Joy Mathew JV Pawar K G Shankara Pillai K N Panikkar K Satchidanandan Kalpana Swaminarayan Kalpana Swaminathan Kavery Nambisan Keki Daruwalla Kiran Nagarkar KM Shrimali KP Ramanunni Kunal Basu Kutti Revathi M Mukundan MMP Singh Madhu Bhaduri Makarand Sathe Malavika Kapur Mamang Dai Mamta Sagar Manash Bhattacharya Manasi Mangad Ratnakaran Mangalesh Dabral Manishi Jani Manmohan Manoj Kulkarni Manoj Kuroor Maria Couto Meena Kandasamy Megha Pansare Mogalli Ganesh Mrinal Pande Mukul Kesavan NS Madhavan NP Hafiz Mohamad Nabaneeta Dev Sen Nalin Ranjan Singh Namita Gokhale Namita Singh Nancy Adajania Nayantara Sahgal Neeraj Singh Nityanand Tiwari Noor Zaheer Orijit Sen P Sivakami PN Gopikrishnan PP Ramachandran Pankaj Bisht Paul Zacharia Prabha Varma Prabodh Parikh Pradnya Daya Pawar Prem Tiwari Priya Sarukkai Chabria Purushottam Agarwal R Unni Rahamath Tarikere Rahman Abbas Rajendra Chenni Rajendra Rajan Rajesh Joshi Rajiv Ranjan Singh Ramprakash Tripathi Ranjit Hoskote Raosaheb Kasbe Rakesh Tiwari Ravishankar Rekha Awasthi Ritu Menon Robin Ngangom Romila Thapar Ruchira Gupta Rukmini Bhaya Nair S Joseph Sachin Ketkar Saleem Peeradina Salim Yusufji Salma Samik Bandyopadhyay Sanjeev Kaushal Sanjeev Khandekar Sanjeev Kumar Sarabjeet Garcha Satish Alekar Savitri Rajeevan Sethu Shafi Shauq Shailesh Singh Shanta Acharya Shanta Gokhale Sharankumar Limbale Sharmila Samant Shashi Deshpande Shekhar Joshi Shobha Singh Shubha Smita Sahay Srilata K Subodh Sarkar Sudeep Chakravarti Sudeshna Banerjee Sudhanva Deshpande Sudhir Chandra Suresh Chabria TM Krishna Tekchand Udayan Vajpeyi Urvashi Butalia Vaasanthi Vanamala Viswanatha Vijay Prashad Venita Coelho Vijayalakshmi Vinita Agrawal Vinitabh Vishnu Nagar Vishwanath Tripathi Vivan Sundaram Vivek Shanbhag Volga Zoya Hasan -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Green Youth Movement" group. 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