A TALE OF

BETRAYAL

TMC’s

Manifesto

Analysis

APRIL 2019

Cover page illustration courtesy: HTTP://INDIANCARICATURE.BLOGSPOT.COM

Preface

In the run up to the General Elections, It is important to assess the performance of the government as per their manifesto targets. At Public Policy Research Centre we undertook this mission to create detailed report cards of manifestoes of different political parties at National and State level. In this sequence, we assessed the promises made in the manifesto of Trinamool Congress for 2016 and 2011 assembly elections. We assessed the track record of TMC government in thereby presenting to the public a comprehensive report card for the voters to make an informed decisions. Our analysis found that 70% promises are unfulfilled by Mamata Banerjee led Bengal Government. Hence we have named this document as a ‘Tale of Betrayal’. The initiative has been taken in the spirit of our democratic framework where every government is answerable to its citizens for all its hits and misses. The document presents a detailed enumeration of facts with evidence, where all the unfulfilled promises has been mentioned based on accredited sources to enable an independent assessment of the Bengal government’s performance. Public Policy Research Centre’s team has objectively assessed the promises backed by research through official sources available publicly online. We would be delighted to receive feedback and inputs from our readers and aid in healthy discussions on the work done and milestones achieved.

Sumeet Bhasin Hon. Director, Public Policy Research Centre New Delhi

1 | P a g e

BACKGROUND In the spirit of democracy, it is important that political parties are accountable to the people and adhere to the sanctity of the promises made in their manifestoes’ during the elections. Keeping this in view, a larger exercise of conducting detailed analysis of the manifestoes of several political parties was undertaken by us. As a part of the larger exercise, we undertook a detailed assessment of TMC’s manifestoes for 2016 and 2011 assembly elections. TMC’s manifesto analysis also becomes important because of the fact that Mamata Banerjee came to power in 2011 with a promise to change the 34 years of misrule and bad governance under the Left government and She got herself re-elected in 2016. There have been multiple news reports about the misdeeds, increased violence and appeasement for one particular community under Mamata Banerjee’s Government. However, there hasn’t been any objective analysis of the work done vis-à-vis the promises made by her in the manifestoes of 2016 and 2011. Thus, we at Public Policy Research Centre undertook this study to enumerate the promises made and to check the status of fulfilment of the promises, thereby presenting to the public a comprehensive report card. The initiative has been taken in the spirit of our democratic framework where every government is answerable to its citizens for all its hits and misses.

OBJECTIVES

• To study all the promises made in manifesto 2016 and 2011. • Identifying all the unfulfilled promises from manifesto 2011 which were again repeated in manifesto 2016 and are yet to be fulfilled.

SCOPE AND METHODOLOGY • To enumerate and evaluate the promises made by TMC in its manifesto for 2016 and 2011 Assembly elections. • The initiatives were scooped from the entire official information source bases. The seven year booklet of West Bengal government was taken into letter and spirits. • A liberal viewpoint was taken, as in the claims of the government and the TMC party was taken positively for this report. • The document provides an objective listing of all the failed commitments made to the people of Bengal by Mamta Banerjee.

2 | P a g e

MANIFESTO ANALYSIS TMC Manifesto Review S. Undelivered Promises of 2016 Manifesto Delivered? No Good Governance & Law and Order 1 The government will pay special attention to the prevention of No cyber-crime in the coming days. 2 Housing projects like 'Akanksha' and 'Pratyasha' will increase No the housing capacity for police personnel. 3 Special attention will be paid towards the health and education No. Pending Since 2011 Manifesto of the families of the police.

4 The family members of deceased workers who depart while at No. Pending Since 2011 Manifesto work will be given jobs. 5 Attention will be paid to ease the relationship between the No. Pending Since 2011 Manifesto police and the people. 6 We will pay special attention to protect the minorities, the No. SC/ST/OBCs and tribal people from communal and social oppression. 7 Civic Volunteers, NVF, Home Guard, Village Police and No. District Management workers will be trained to enhance their skills and productivity. 8 Fast Tack Courts and Human Rights Courts will be paid special No. attention to. 9 10% of the posts of the constabulary will be given to selected No. job aspirants from the Home Guard and Civic Volunteers. 10 There has and will be an increase in the number female police No. personnel. 11 Six new districts (Sunderbans, Basirhat, Burdwan-Industrial No. and Burdwan-Rural, Jhargram).

12 The TMC government plans to extend the number of block No. level meetings from the current 105 to increase the speed of service delivery to the people. 13 The police will take strong action against criminals and anti- No. Pending Since 2011 Manifesto socials. 14 To maintain law and order, important steps have been taken and No. Pending Since 2011 Manifesto will be taken in the future.

We pledge to make the administration more transparent and humanitarian thereby extend its benefits to all sections of the society. 15 We, the TMC government, plan to add a few more police No. Commissionerates. 16 Bengal will be free from communal violence. No. Pending since 2011 Manifesto

3 | P a g e

Health 17 Our target is 'Health for Every One' as health is of prime No. Pending since 2011 Manifesto importance for everyone. 18 By increasing the number of seats at medical colleges in all No. Pending since 2011 Manifesto departments and the number of medical colleges across the state, we want to continue the trend of producing more able doctors and technicians. 19 In the future, the excellence of service at the super speciality No. Pending since 2011 Manifesto and multi-speciality hospitals is going to be assured. 20 We plan to open new colleges for nursing and paramedical No. Pending since 2011 Manifesto training. 21 The Trinamool government is aiming to provide health cards No. for every individual. 22 Providing a superior level of medical facility at a low price or No. Pending since 2011 Manifesto free of cost for economically backward individuals. 23 We plan to open a medical college in every district. No. Pending since 2011 Manifesto 24 The TMC government pledges to eradicate completely deadly No. diseases like kalazar, filaria and leprosy. 25 We will continue our battle fiercely against dengue, malaria No. and other such diseases. The spread of vector-based diseases will be controlled in the future. Education 26 To take inspiration for the great scholars, philosophers and No. thinkers of Bengal, we plan to incorporate their writings within the syllabi. 27 A Sanskrit Board is going to be initiated with the help of the No. Ramakrishna Mission. 28 We plan to distribute shoes to students from Classes V-VIII in No. the future. 29 The number of schools, colleges and educational institutions is No. Pending since 2011 Manifesto going to be increased substantially. Qualified private sector involvement will also be encouraged 30 We plan to get accreditation for institutions from the No. National Assessment and Accreditation Council and the National Board of Accreditation, enhancing the quality of the institutes. 31 We also plan to distribute winter clothing to students every No. couple of years. 32 For students of class IX-X in underdeveloped regions, we No. plan to introduce the system of Mid-day meals. 33 The Trinamool congress government wants to introduce No. computers in every school over a period of time in phases. 34 All texts pertaining to the syllabi will be available on the No. internet. 35 We plan to upgrade St. Xavier's to an autonomous university. No. A second campus of the Presidency University at Rajarhat is No. also in the pipeline, along with another campus in .

4 | P a g e

36 To maintain the standards in private institutions, a No. monitoring committee will be formed. 37 All the blocks will have at least one ITI institute. No. Pending since 2011 Manifesto 38 4 Competitive Examinations Training Institutes will be No. opened. 39 Trained teachers will be employed in primary, secondary No. Pending since 2011 Manifesto and higher secondary schools to fill the gap of teacher student ratio. 40 A Nepali college will be opened in Darjeeling. No. Pending since 2011 Manifesto 41 Hindi-medium schools in Hindi-speaking areas will be opened. No. Pending since 2011 Manifesto Industry 42 Through the Rasoolpur and Bhor Sea Port projects, port No. Pending since 2011 Manifesto management and construction will be observed. We plan to increase our naval trade substantially through new ports. This will support the Port trust and improve the economy of the people of Bengal 43 An Industrial Investment Fund will be maintained to promote No. Pending since 2011 Manifesto and regulate industrialisation. Private investors will be encouraged so that we can quickly build roads and other facilities near these industrial parks. Small Industries 44 The silk park in Malda will be constructed investing many No. Pending since 2011 Manifesto crores of rupees. 45 We plan to open many Biswa Bangla showrooms across the No. globe. Women and Child Welfare 45 A special helpline will be started to help women across the No. state. 46 A pension scheme for poor and helpless women will be started. No. 47 Resident training centres for Anganwadi workers will be No. constructed. 48 ICDS centres will be established in brickyard and chitmahal No. areas. Rural Welfare 49 Drought-affected areas, such as Purulia, Bankura and their No. adjacent places, will have efficient water distribution systems. Urban Development 50 A special 3-floor tall administrative building for NKD is going No. to be constructed. 51 Wi-Fi connectivity is going to be extended to Durgapur, No. Asansol, Burdwan, Siliguri, Malda, North 24 Parganas, Dum Dum, Barrackpore, Bolpur, Krishnanagar, Chandernagore, Chinsurah and others.

5 | P a g e

Culture, Sports and Youth Welfare 52 To locate talents, Talent Search Scheme will be put in place. No. Biswa Bangla Youth Centres would be established across the state. 53 Rabindra Sarobar Stadium and Kishor Bharati Stadium would No. Pending since 2011 Manifesto be developed into an international-standard stadium.

Agriculture, Land Development, Horticulture, Fisheries & Animal Husbandry 54 Kisan Portal Service would be started to benefit farmers with No. information and technology. 55 Health cards for dairy animals would be distributed. No. 56 Agricultural University would be established in North Bengal. No. 57 Agriculture would be introduced as an optional subject in No. higher secondary syllabus. 58 Krishi Bhavans would be No. constructed across districts. Minority Welfare 59 Bicycles would be distributed to all the minority students of No. Classes IX-XII. 60 A new campus of the Aliah University will be opened in North No. Bengal's minority-inhabited area 61 Government colleges would be established under Aliah No. University in minority-inhabited areas. 62 Medical colleges would be established under Aliah No. University. 63 A new scheme will be adopted to provide financial assistance No. to minority-community students undertaking IAS training in Delhi, helping hundreds of students. 64 Training centres for competitive exams like WBCS and IBPS No. would be established. 65 Employment centres would be established for backward classes No. Pending since 2011 and minority community women. 66 Baseline surveys would be conducted to fill-in the No. infrastructural gaps in minority-inhabited areas. 67 KIT, KMDA, WBHIDCO and other government institutions No. would construct houses for the minority community 68 Through the incorporation of Muslims in the OBC list No. and by securing 17% reservation for OBCs, employment opportunities would be ensured for our minority fraternity. 69 Like Asansol and Islampur, Hooghly and North 24 Parganas No. Pending since 2011 would have Urdu Academies built. Jangalmahal, Hills, Tea and Estates 70 The TMC government is always by the side our tea-estate No. Pending since 2011 workers. We have pledged to provide them with pension schemes, health, nourishment, education and personal

6 | P a g e

development. Special attention is being paid to clear their dues and ensure timely wages in the future. Tribal Development 71 Special educational and training programmes, as well as No. Pending since 2011 employment opportunities, would be arranged for students of backward communities and scholarships would be arranged for them. 72 The decreasing rate of employment in the government No. departments of backward communities would be checked through a Special Recruitment Drive. Housing 73 More than 5 lakh flats/apartments would be built for No. government employees. 74 100 Pather Sathi structures with multiple amenities for the aid No. of passengers and travellers would be constructed. 75 Rental Housing projects would be initiated for people with No. limited resources. Tourism 76 Gajoldoba will be developed as a tourist destination. A star and No. Pending since 2011 a reasonably priced resort would be built, along with an eco-tourism hub. A resort with a golf course, hospitality management institute and a health centre would be built. Elephant safari, fishing, kayaking, bird watching and other recreational activities would be available. Mahananda Wildlife Sanctuary, Gorumara and Chapramari wildlife parks would be integrated. 77 A number of branded hotels would be established in the state. No. Pending since 2011

7 | P a g e

CONCLUSION

• Out of the 112 promises made in 2016, 77 are unfulfilled, i.e. almost 70 % promises were found to Unfulfilled. Out of the 77 unfulfilled promises, almost 27 promises were also promised in the 2011 Manifesto but are not fulfilled till date. • Standing at the cross roads of history, West Bengal chose Mamata Banerjee in 2011 to provide a governance free from the misrule, corruption and violence which was a routine affair in the 34 years of Left government. But at the end of eight years what we see today is that the condition in Bengal have become worse. The state has got lower rankings in governance and development. Crime is rampant, Investment is almost null, government facilities are ineffective and the state is in huge debt. Policy paralysis is effecting every strata of the society today. • While the State recorded 27 incidents of violence in 2015 in which five persons died and 84 suffered injuries, the number of incidents almost doubled by 2017 when 58 incidents of violence were recorded, in which nine people lost their lives and 230 were injured. • Law and order in the state of West Bengal is of pathetic condition. Hundreds of political killings, abduction and kidnapping the opponents are the hard evidence of deteriorating law and order situation in the state. The local syndicate of criminals supported by the administration have started extorting the industrialists and a result of which is that there are no big investments in West Bengal. Even the police personnel are not safe as TMC cadre have attacked them very often. • West Bengal stands fifth highest in the country, when it comes to crimes against children. • West Bengal tops the list when it comes to crimes committed by foreigners. • West Bengal recorded 76 incidents of acid attack and about 83 victims, accounting for 26% of all total incidents and 27% of total victims in . • West Bengal recorded 19,305 cases of cruelty by husband or his relatives (over 17% of the total cases in the country). • When it comes to human trafficking, West Bengal is not only the highest contributor to the crime but it alone accounts for 44% of all cases nationally. • West Bengal ranked second with 32,513 cases of crime against women, contributing 9.6% to all such crimes in the country as per the latest available data.

8 | P a g e