Free colour TVs and 25 kg of rice at Rs 2 for families living below the poverty line – that is what the Congress manifesto promises before the assembly elections in Karnataka.

At a press conference in Bangalore on Wednesday, state Congress chief Mallikarjuna Kharge said that if voted to power, the party would provide loans at three per cent interest rate for farmers, women's self help groups, potters, handloom weavers, fishermen and shepherds. All pending loans under the Ashraya and Awaz Yojana scheme will also be waived off.

The Congress also promised to extend the Yeshaswini Health Insurance Scheme to those living below the poverty line. The party will provide a stipend of Rs 1,200 for two years for all those unemployed youth who have cleared their Class ten exams.

Kharge said that approximately 35 members of the Congress committee had met earlier in the day to finalise the list of probable candidates and the guidelines to issue tickets to aspiring candidates. Kharge said that the Congress will release the final list of the candidates on April 16.