Bangalore, April 24: Providing a sneak peek into its likely agenda for the next parliamentary elections, the BJP, in its blueprint for the Karnataka Assembly polls next month, has promised to broad-base the definition of the poverty line to take food subsidies and healthcare benefits to a larger number of people.

With rising prices in mind, the BJP election manifesto for Karnataka, released on Thursday, promises to do away with the income ceiling of Rs 11,800 per annum that currently defines the poverty line.

“The BPL definition has become redundant. We propose to recognise families with annual income up to Rs 30,000 as extremely poor and those with income up to Rs 60,000 as poor. This is an issue for national debate,” said BJP general secretary and Karnataka election in-charge Arun Jaitley.

Trying to better the preliminary populist Congress manifesto released two weeks back, the BJP manifesto has promised to provide the redefined “extremely poor” rice at Rs 2 per kg, health insurance, pension of Rs 400 to divorced women and widows with children, waiver of housing loans and 15 lakh new houses.

And while the Congress had promised free colour television sets, the BJP has promised a cyber café in 60,000 villages across the state. The cyber café will be a part of a village entertainment centre that will also feature community television sets and other facilities to help people liaise with government officials and service providers, BJP state manifesto committee member V S Acharya said. “This manifesto lays down an agenda for the future. There are points in it that will be helpful for the party even at the national level,” said Jaitley.

The BJP sees availability of food for everyone as one of the principal issues in the country. “With food prices rising, this needs a re-look. This is an article of faith, not populism. The Congress lacks credibility on this and is responsible for the price rise,” said Jaitley.