India's ruling Congress party sought to capture the country's rural vote yesterday by promising cheap rice and credit to farmers if re-elected in polls that start in three weeks time.
In an election manifesto launched by Sonia Gandhi, party president, Congress vowed to expand rural welfare programmes, deepen interest relief on agricultural loans and distribute cheap food to the poor.
The party offered to raise wages under its “rural employment guarantee scheme” to Rs100 ($2) a day – from as low as Rs50 – and sell poor families 25kg of rice or wheat per month at 3 rupees a kilogramme, despite a widening fiscal deficit.
您已阅读63%（623字），剩余37%（360字）包含更多重要信息，订阅以继续探索完整内容，并享受更多专属服务。