Thursday, January 20 2005 15:09 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Patna: Expressing its firm resolve to weed out corruption and effectively control the law and order situation, the ruling RJD (Rashtriya Janata Dal) today (Jan 20, 2005) offered a slew of sops for minorities in its manifesto for next month's Assembly elections in Bihar.

The manifesto, released by party President Laloo Prasad at a press conference, promises to set up a Vikas Sena, besides toning up administrative units to reach the benefits of development directly to dalits, backwards, minorities and other oppressed sections of society.

Laloo, who pledged that the RJD would work for achieving its dream for all-round development in Bihar, offered slew of sops for minorities including opening a Urdu directorate under Raj Bhasha department, according the status of Scheduled Caste to extremely backward and deprived sections of minority communities, besides posting Urdu-knowing employee at all police stations in the state if his party returned to power.

His party would formulate a concrete action plan for fulfilling basic needs of the people like food, cloth, house, education, health, road and electricity if voted to power again, the Railway Minister asserted.

He said that if returned to power the RJD would take effective steps for expanding the network of small-scale industries and ensure free education for women at all levels.

He said that his party would also work for providing employment to at least one person of every family of a farmer and labourer and said further steps would be taken for linking all the villages with pucca roads.