DHAKA: Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond has launched the SNP’s independence blueprint, calling it a ‘mission statement’ for Scotland’s future.

The 670-page Scottish government white paper promised a ‘revolution’ in social policy, with childcare at its heart, reports the BBC.

On 18 September, Scots voters will be asked the yes/no question, ‘Should Scotland be an independent country?’

It also pledged to tailor economic policy to Scottish businesses and industry.

Launching the paper, ‘Scotland’s future: Your guide to an independent Scotland’, in Glasgow, the first minister said, ‘This is the most comprehensive blueprint for an independent country ever published, not just for Scotland but for any prospective independent nation.‬

‘But more than that, it is a mission statement and a prospectus for the kind of country we should be and which this government believes we can be.’

BDST: 1749 HRS, NOV 26, 2013