Highlighting the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA)’s manifesto, Gandhi said women, farmers and youth will be protected with provisions like Rs 3,000 monthly assistance and free bus travel, farm loan waiver up to Rs 3 lakh and Rs 4,000 per month assistance for unemployed youth.He reiterated the demand for a caste census, saying it will help ascertain the number of adivasis, Dalits and backward classes in Maharashtra and their share in resources.At present, out of the eight per cent tribal population, their share in decision-making is only one per cent, Gandhi claimed.He also alleged that five lakh jobs from Maharashtra have been snatched as various big ticket projects have been shifted to other states.”Our government will not allow this. Projects meant for Maharashtra will remain here while those meant for Gujarat will stay there,’ he said.A Vedanta-Foxconn semiconductor project, manufacturing units of Tata-Airbus and iPhone companies, a drug park and a petrochemical plant were taken out of the state, Gandhi charged.Of the 90 officers who run the government, only one is from the adivasi community, he claimed.”Of the Rs 100 to be disbursed for expenditure by these 90 officers, the adivasi officer takes a decision of only 10 paise. For every 100 persons, there are eight adivasis, while your participation is 10 paise out of Rs 100. The adivasi officer is not allotted good departments. We have to change this,” the Congress leader said.He sought to know the number of Dalits, adivasis, backward classes members working in media houses and top companies.”There are several tribal workers under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee scheme. My goal is to ensure that people from backward communities, tribals and Dalits get their rightful participation in the power structure and decision-making,” he said.
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