new delhi to help draft its manifesto for the upcoming polls which is likely to offer more freebies and welfare schemes congress has roped in some former bureaucrats who have worked at senior positions in delhi government for several yearsparty sources said these former civil servants held key positions during the sheila dikshit regime for 15 years and advised the government on several important initiatives during that timewhile the political part of the manifesto has been readied by a committee chaired by former union minister ajay maken who also held important portfolios in dikshits cabinet the bureaucrats are helping with the technical partthese former bureaucrats are advising us on how some of the schemes which we are keen on launching can be implemented in delhi the budget required to run such initiatives and how we can fund those programmes a senior congress functionary requesting anonymity saidwith initiatives such as free electricity water travel for women in public buses and wifi aap has upped the ante forcing rival parties to counter them with more freebiesout of office since 2013 and failing to win a single seat in the 2015 polls congress faces a tough battle of survival in the capital while the upcoming polls are being pitched as a contest between aap and bjp congress is being seen as a distant third party functionaries say the manifesto would be a major tool to bring back the vote bank which gravitated towards aap in the last two pollsdelhi congress chief subhash chopra has already announced that if elected his partys government would give relief to domestic consumers on up to 600 units of electricity consumption every month he also promised zero bill for small traders and farmers on consumption of up to 200 unitschopra also promised to double the pension for senior citizens widows and people with disabilities sources said the party was also considering announcing free travel for women senior citizens and students in delhi metro and city buses these promises will be a part of the partys election manifesto likely to be released next weekparty functionaries said the manifesto would also explain where the money would come from to fund these schemes in its last year in office in 2013 congress had presented a budget of rs 37450 crore which increased to rs 60000 crore in 20192020congress sources said this was where the former bureaucrats came in since these former bureaucrats have worked in key positions of delhi government they know how the budget allocated to various departments is utilised and that a large portion remains unspent there are several heads where the money is collected but never utilised for any welfare scheme the officers are also suggesting where we can impose additional tax if required to fund such initiatives delhi is a cashsurplus state and the freebies and welfare schemes announced by us can easily be funded another party functionary said