Delhi BJP woos young voters, promises tax exemption on gadgets for students

New Delhi: Delhi BJP on Wednesday promised to exempt all taxes on computers, laptops, tablets and smart phones for college students and implement a comprehensive youth scheme for creating new colleges and job opportunities, if voted to power.

To woo young voters, the party promised to open 15 new colleges and at least one university in association with a leading world university in Delhi under 'Atal Yuva Mission'.

"We will open new professional colleges for education in new technologies, environmental sciences, medicine, engineering and law. We will also open an online university called A B Vajpayee Online Vishwavidyalaya," Delhi BJP's chief ministerial candidate Harsh Vardhan said.

The party also announced 'Dus Din-Dus Irade' (10 days, 10 determinations), where Vardhan will every day present his vision on 10 important issues of Delhi. Senior party leaders Arun Jaitley, Vijay Kumar Malhotra and Vijay Goel were also present.

Addressing a joint press conference, Vardhan said he will inculcate a culture of meritocracy and hard work and take all measures to provide to all young citizens world-class education, training and jobs.

"Delhi will become the first state in India to truly reap the demographic dividend or the advantage of having an overwhelmingly youthful population...something which the Congress-led UPA government has woefully failed at," he said.

"The three main agenda for youth are education, employment and sports. No new colleges were set up by the Congress government in the last 15 years and not a single seat was added in colleges," Goel claimed, adding that his party would look at ways to accommodate students not just from Delhi but also from other states if it comes to power.

Vardhan said he would establish the Delhi Officers Training Academy (DOTA) to provide free coaching for meritorious students to enable them to succeed in entrance exams of IAS/IFS and IPS and the Defence Forces. Those selected will be provided a scholarship of Rs 12,000 per year, Vardhan promised. To promote sports, the party said it will launch a cheme under which sports scholarship of Rs 25,000 per year will be given to meritorious sports persons.

"The scheme will seek to use the many stadiums and sporting facilities that were built for the CWG and are lying unused. The program will also recruit the finest international coaches and trainers," Malhotra said.