Implementation of electoral promises challenge for to-be-sworn-in Hemant Soren govt

Implementing the big ticket electoral promises it made in the campaign for the Jharkhand elections will be a tough challenge for the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM)-led coalition, which is likely to take office in the eastern state after Christmas.

And the alliance partners, especially the JMM and Congress, are aware of the magnitude of the task they confront. Both JMM and Congress, which came out with different manifestos, made expansive promises, implementation of which have both financial and legal implications.

Both JMM and Congress have promised loan waivers to farmers, higher minimum support price for paddy, and an unemployment allowance to jobless young people. Both parties have promised to fill all vacancies in the Jharkhand government in six months. Both have also promised to increase other backward class (OBC) reservations in the state to 27 per cent from 14 per cent.

These promises may have paid dividends in the form of votes for the alliance partners, but implementing them will not be easy.

“It is still to be worked out - what kind of financial burden a loan waiver for farmers would have on the exchequer, which is already struggling due to the big-ticket welfare schemes started by the previous government. The annual cost of implementing the Mukhyamantri Krishi Ashirwaad Yojna in the current fiscal by the outgoing government is estimated to be around ₹3,000 crore. The promise of unemployment allowance would also add to the pressure,” said a senior official in the state government on condition of anonymity.

The Mukhyamantri Krishi Ashirwaad Yojna, a flagship programme of the outgoing Raghubar Das government, promises financial help of ₹5,000 per acre every year to around 3.5 million farmers in the state with a land holding of upto 5 acres.

People familiar with the situation said on condition of anonymity that the state exchequer had already been overburdened financially because the Centre was yet to grant the state’s share of Goods and Services Tax (GST) which is around ₹800 crore.

A senior leader of the JMM said some of the decisions would also have legislative implications as some laws would need to be tweaked.

“Ending unemployment has been a major poll issue. Both parties have promised to fill all vacancies in the government,” said the leader, who is on the JMM central committee and spoke on condition of anonymity. “Congress has promised to fill them in six months. The JMM on the other hand has promised to amend the domicile and the employment policy of the state to benefit the locals of the state. This would require legislative amendments. We are aware of the challenges and we hope to settle them at the earliest by having a common minimum programme.”