Bhubaneshwar, April 7: Ahead of 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) President Amit Shah on Sunday released the manifesto for Odisha in the state capital Bhubaneshwar. Odisha will into Lok Sabha polls, along with the Assembly election, in the state. The manifesto has been released in Odia language. Some of the key promises include capital punishment for rape convicts, and farmers loan at zero per cent interest rate.

"We promise capital punishment for rape convicts. Farmers to get a loan at 0 per cent interest. Small and medium farmers will be given Rs 3000/month pension after 60 yrs of age. Rs 3500 Cr fund for Skill Odisha, benefitting 20 Lakh people in 5 yrs. Rs 1000 Cr startup fund to be made," Shah said. Odisha Lok Sabha Elections 2019 Schedule: Constituency-Wise Dates Of Voting And Results For General Elections.

Taking a dig at the current Biju Janata Dal government, Shah said, "BJD has proved worse than Congress in Odisha. They haven't been able to live up to the expectations of the people of Odisha. In comparison with other states of the country, Odisha is lagging behind in areas of drinking water, houses, health, security for women, education and other fields. Despite being rich in resources, the people here are poor."

Slamming the Naveen Patnaik- led BJD for mining and chit fund scams, Shah said, "While corruption was rampant in the allocation of mines, chit fund scam flourished because of the protection provided to those involved in corrupt practices. A large number of innocent and poor investors were taken for a ride. The BJP, after coming to power, will put them behind bars."

Exuding self-confidence that saffron party will come to power in Odisha, he said that the party manifesto for the state focuses on the well-being and empowerment of farmers, youth, women, and the weaker sections of society.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 07, 2019 02:23 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).