Promising a slew of sops for the minorities, including jobs for dalit Muslims, Rashtriya Janata Dal-led United Progressive Alliance's Common Minimum Programme for Bihar elections laid stress on infrastructure and social sector development and pledged to check corruption in high places.

The CMP, released jointly by RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav, Congress in-charge of Bihar Digvijay Singh and Nationalist Congress Party General Secretary Tariq Anwar, focused on social engineering, the hallmark of RJD supremo, as it promised to work for job reservations for dalit Muslims, quotas for them in government, non-government and government-aided technical institutions and even favoured job quotas for poor among the upper castes.

The document vowed to check corruption in high places.

It said the chief minister, ministers and legislators will disclose their assets, which would be tabled on the floor of the House. The members will be asked to furnish revised statements on their assets at the beginning of every year.

The CMP assured to take effective steps for getting approval of the Centre to Bihar government's proposal to include backward Kahar, Karmkar, Nonia, Bind, Mallah, Rajbhar, Turha, Barhai and Kamar castes in the scheduled caste category and also to work for designating Tanti, Nai and Kanu castes as schedule castes.

Following the inclusion of these castes in the scheduled castes bracket, the job quota for SC would be enhanced so that those already getting benefits are not deprived of these, it said.

The CMP promised to enact suitable laws for prompt payment of compensation to victims of communal riots and their rehabilitation, besides raising an anti-riot police force.

It assured appointment of teachers of Arabic and Persian in all schools, colleges and universities and Urdu translators and typists in block, sub-divisional and district offices. A sub-inspector having knowledge of the language will be posted at every police station.

The CMP promised salaries and other benefits to madarsa and Sanskrit school teachers on par with state government employee and provision of loans upto Rs five lakh to the youth belonging to the minorities through the minorities financial corporation.

It vowed to maintain communal harmony and warned of action against those who tried to disturb it.

Pledging to work for infrastructure development, the UPA's document promised total rural electrification by year 2009 and free electricity to SC/ST households living below poverty line.

Stating that the power plants at Nabinagar, Barh and Biht would become operational by year 2010, it said Kanti and Barauni thermal power stations would be modernised and expanded by 2008.

It said the work on 250 km of roads under golden quadrilateral project and 550 km under East-West corridor project would be completed in a year.

All villages having a population of 1000 would be connected with all-weather roads by 2009 and those with population of 50 by 2011.

Top priority would be accorded to tackling flood for which the negotiations were continuing between the UPA government at the Centre and the government of Nepal, it said.