NCP unveils 36-point manifesto with pledge for 10 million jobs
Staff Reporter :
The National Citizens Party (NCP) on Friday unveiled its election manifesto, pledging to create 10 million decent jobs within five years and announcing a Tk100 billion entrepreneurship fund as part of a wide-ranging reform agenda.
The 36-point manifesto, titled “Manifesto of Youth and Dignity,” was formally launched at 4:00pm at a city hotel in Gulshan, Dhaka, under the slogan “Bangladesh through a new lens.” Party leaders, supporters and members of the media attended the event.
NCP Convener Nahid Islam was present as the chief guest, while party spokesperson and chairman of the Central Election Management Committee Asif Mahmud Shojib Bhuyain attended as a special guest. Senior leaders from the party’s central and affiliated bodies were also present.
Spanning 86 pages across 12 chapters, the manifesto outlines policy proposals on governance, human rights, economic restructuring, education, healthcare,
environmental protection, women’s empowerment, employment, expatriate welfare, foreign policy and national security.
A central theme of the document is institutional reform, accountability and justice. The party pledged to establish an independent commission to oversee the implementation of the July Charter, which calls for legislative and administrative reforms.
It also committed to ensuring justice for crimes against humanity, including the July killings, the Shapla Chattar killings, the BDR massacre, enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings, alongside forming a truth and reconciliation commission.
To protect minority and human rights, the manifesto proposes the creation of a special investigative cell under the Human Rights Commission with authority to conduct independent probes into discrimination, communal violence and ethnic persecution.
On governance and transparency, the NCP pledged to publicly disclose annual income and asset statements of ministers, members of parliament, elected representatives and senior officials through a digital platform named “Hisaab Dao” (Accountability).
The party also promised reforms in the civil service, including greater lateral entry, fully performance-based promotions through an independent commission, inflation-adjusted pay scales, and the inclusion of imams, muazzins and khadims under the national salary structure.
In the economic sector, the manifesto proposes setting a national minimum wage of Tk100 per hour, introducing labour safety insurance and pension schemes, reducing the tax burden on low- and middle-income groups, and increasing the tax-to-GDP ratio to 12 percent by curbing tax evasion. A gradual transition towards a cashless economy was also pledged.
The NCP announced plans to create 10 million jobs within five years, with special emphasis on small and medium enterprises, women and youth entrepreneurs.
The proposed Tk100 billion entrepreneurship fund would provide cash-flow-based loans to support new ventures.
The party also outlined plans to train 1.5 million skilled migrant workers annually through government-regulated programmes.
In education, the manifesto proposes forming an education reform commission, introducing a separate salary structure for teachers, nationalising 75 percent of MPO-registered institutions within five years, and making six-month internships or thesis research mandatory at the undergraduate level. Measures to reverse brain drain and establish a national computing server were also included.
Healthcare commitments include establishing specialised healthcare zones in the northern and southern regions, launching a GPS-tracked national ambulance and emergency response system, upgrading district hospitals with modern ICUs and CCUs, introducing NID-based digital health records, and gradually implementing a national health insurance system.
To enhance women’s political participation and welfare, the party proposed 100 directly elected reserved seats for women in the lower house, mandatory paid maternity and paternity leave, optional period leave in government offices, workplace daycare facilities, and decentralised distribution of essential women’s health products.
Environmental and infrastructure proposals include shutting down polluting brick kilns, enforcing mandatory effluent treatment plants in industries, generating 25 percent of electricity from renewable sources within five years, shifting government vehicle procurement to electric vehicles, and introducing integrated public transport systems in Dhaka and Chattogram.
On foreign policy, the NCP said it would take a firm stance on unresolved issues with India, including border killings and water-sharing disputes, and pursue international legal avenues if necessary.
The party reiterated its commitment to a humanitarian solution to the Rohingya crisis and expressed its intention to work towards Asean membership.
In the area of national defence, the manifesto outlines plans to create a reserve force twice the size of the conventional armed forces, establish a UAV brigade within five years, and acquire medium-range surface-to-air missile systems.
Party leaders said the manifesto represents a roadmap for building a youth-driven, accountable and dignified Bangladesh, with a focus on institutional reform, social justice and national sovereignty.