Chennai, Mar 19 (KNN) The two major parties of Tamil Nadu - All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) and the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) today released their election manifestos.

In their respective manifestos, both the parties promised to release Rajiv Gandhi case convicts and demanded Tamil Nadu’s exemption from National Eligibility-Cum-Entrance Test (NEET) examinations.

AIADMK promised a national-level poverty eradication scheme that would grant a sum of Rs 1,500 a month for every family below poverty line (BPL), Statehood for the Union territory of Puducherry and water management schemes including linking of rivers and diverting water to drought-hit areas.

AIADMK coordinator Deputy Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam and party’s co coordinator and Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami released the election manifesto in the presence of senior party functionaries in the party head office on Avvai Shanmugam Salai in Chennai.

The AIADMK’s manifesto also promised that it would insist the Centre to transfer the ‘Education’ portfolio to the State list.

Special emphasis has been given to agriculture, welfare of farmers and fishermen, employment generation, etc.
“AIADMK  will urge the Union Government to implement special schemes to mitigate the adverse impact of the recession on Agriculture, Industry and service sectors of the economy,” the manifesto said added that the party would urge the Centre to take into consideration, the above aspects and direct the RBI, NABARD, nationalised banks and other banks to reduce considerably the rate of interest levied for loans lent to agriculture-industry and service sectors, besides relaxing the stringent norms related to such loans.

AIADMK will urge the Government of India to come up with a firm policy to waive the loans obtained by small and medium farmers of the Country.

AIADMK said it will demand Government of India to establish SPECIAL ECONOMIC ZONES for fish processing and fish exports with modern fishing harbours and transport connectivity to enable fishermen to develop economically by fetching better price for their products.

AIADMK, therefore, will urge Government of India to LIFT the ban imposed on the catching of sea cucumber and permit fishermen to have related fishing rights again.

AIADMK will urge Government of India for the creation of a corpus fund for the benefit of Unorganized Workers Welfare Board.

AIADMK will urge Government of India to increase the number of working days of the labourers under Mahatma Gandhi National rural Employment Scheme to 200 Days per person.

The AIADMK manifesto said the party would urge Centre not to bring any amendments to the Constitution for a Uniform Civil Code as that will adversely affect the religious rights of minorities of India.

It also promised to urge the Centre to enact due legislation to enable the implementation of the Reservation Policy in Private Sector also, in order to provide social justice to the SC/ST, MBC and BC categories of our people.

The manifesto promised to urge Government of India for the introduction and implementation of a crop insurance scheme for the individual farmers and to declare Cauvery delta as a protected agriculture zone, which is another demand of the PMK.

The party would also urge the Centre to implement  MGR National Skill-upgradation scheme (MGRNSUS) to upgrade the skills of Indian youth for new employment avenues locally and globally.

Meanwhile, the DMK, in its election manifesto, has promised to fight for the return of old pension scheme, reintroduction of control prices of petrol, diesel, and abolishing toll fee in highways among others.

The manifesto also pitches for a separate budget for agriculture and hike of I-T exemption upto Rs. 8 lakh.

The DMK couldn't win a single seat in the 2014 general elections. It is contesting in 20 out of 39 seats in Tamil Nadu this time, leaving the other seats for its allies. Tamil Nadu goes to polls in a single phase on April 18.