Sarlahi. Nepali Congress (NC) President Gagan Kumar Thapa has made public his election manifesto for Sarlahi-4.

Five days after unveiling the party’s entire manifesto, Thapa made public the pledge laying emphasis on local infrastructure improvement, education, health, agriculture, employment, women empowerment and flood control.

Addressing the voters, Thapa said that the soil of Madhes is an important foundation for the democratic movement. He pledged to keep the issues of Madhes in national priority.

According to him, he had visited the settlements of the district before coming to Sarlahi in course of the Postal Highway Sambad programme, adding that he had seen the problems of long bridges, inundation, weak roads and lack of basic services. He said that a plan has been prepared to solve the local problems after holding discussions with the citizens of different communities.

Stating that problems related to bridge construction, dam repair, inundation control, roads, canals, drainage, drinking water, irrigation and agriculture storage have been raised by the locals from time to time, he expressed commitment to seek solution in coordination with the federal, state and local governments.

He released the pledge letter covering nine different campaigns in a point-wise manner.

Thapa has presented a plan to manage mathematics, science and English teachers, make schools technology-friendly, provide scholarships to students from the disadvantaged and Dalit communities, ensure education in the mother tongue and expand technical education under the ‘copy-pen campaign’. He also said that the ‘Sabal Daughter Abhiyan’ will be launched to encourage the education of daughters.

Under the ‘Healthy Citizen Campaign’, the government has announced the expansion of human resources and infrastructures in local health institutions, establishment of health promotion centre at every local level, free treatment of snakebite and kala-azar, mobile clinic service, malnutrition alleviation programme and campaign against drug abuse. He also set a target to establish Madhesh Kidney Treatment Centre with modern equipment.

Thapa said that under the ‘Agriculture Upliftment, Kisan Gaurav Abhiyan’, there are plans to clear sugarcane dues, easy availability of fertilizers and seeds, construct cold stores, ensure minimum support price and provide concessional loan for agriculture enterprises. He also pledged to take initiatives to set up emergency fertilizer store in Sarlahi and bring fertilizer factory to Madhes.

He has also planned to construct embankments in the Bagmati River area, repair of Manusmara canal dam, early warning system, tree plantation and water conservation programs to solve flood and inundation problems. He also said that the Chure conservation campaign will be launched.

Skills development training, establishment of Employment Information Centre, youth entrepreneurship promotion, facilitation of foreign employment and linking foreign returnee youths to entrepreneurship would be conducted under the ‘Mission Employment Campaign’, he said.

According to Thapa, the ‘no-man’s light’ campaign would be launched along around 30 kilometres of the border with India. He said that there is a plan to install high-mast solar lights in the border areas, manage small customs and conduct special development programs in border villages.

The manifesto also includes concessional loan for women, campaign against domestic violence and child marriage, education and employment programmes for Dalit community and conservation of local language, art, culture and religious places.

President Thapa said that the parliamentarian office named ‘Janata Dalan’ would be established in the area to directly listen to the problems of the citizens and resolve them. He also urged the voters to support him for good governance and prosperity.