Bhubaneswar, March 15 (IANS): The Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) on Friday released its election manifesto giving nine guarantees to the people of the state.

The party released its manifesto in the presence of PCC president Sarat Pattnaik, the party's Odisha in-charge Ajoy Kumar, Panchanan Kanungo, during a press conference here on Friday.

The party has promised in the manifesto to offer Minimum Support Price (MSP) of Rs 3000 per quintal for paddy along with bonus to the farmers in the state. While announcing the agricultural loan waiver, the party also pledged to give a pension of Rs 2000 to every farmer in the state if it comes to power.

It assured free electricity upto 200 units for every household as it is offering in Karnataka.

The Congress also promised to provide jobs to five lakh unemployed youths in the state. The OPCC would also pay Rs 3000 as unemployment allowance to every graduate.

The party also pledged to waive off loans taken by the Women Self Help Groups. It announced Rs 2000 for women heads of the family under Gruhalaxmi Yojana.

It promised to provide gas cylinders to every family at Rs 500 per cylinder and free medical treatment upto Rs 25 lakhs to everyone including government employees in all the private and government hospitals in the state.

The party also assured to increase the widow, physical disability (Divyang) and old-age pension amount to Rs 2000 every month.

The party after coming to power would conduct a caste-based socio-economic survey in the state. It will provide 27 percent reservation in jobs and at educational institutes for the backward classes.

This apart, the Congress promised to establish Gau Shalas in every village and Gau Seva Kendras in every Gram Panchayat.

The OPCC has pledged to fulfill the promises made in the manifesto within the first four years of coming to power. The party also assured to return the amount depositors lost to chit-fund scams within six months.

PCC president Pattnaik said on the occasion that the party will hold press meets at every district headquarters on March 18 and whatever demands are raised there will be added to the manifesto.