Agriculture to be focus of Cong CMs meet: Sonia

New Delhi, Aug 1: The next formal meeting of Congress Chief Minsters later this month will focus on agriculture, Congress President Sonia Gandhi said here today.

Addressing a General Body Meeting of the Congress Parliamentary Party in the Central Hall of Parliament, Mrs Gandhi said the over-riding priority in the Eleventh Five Year Plan, currently under preparation, was to bring about a radical transformation in agriculture to ensure the security of farmers and their families.

Referring to the recent visit of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to Vidarbha which had witnessed several farmers' suicide recently, she said the Prime Minister had then announced a series of measures to alleviate rural distress, expand the coverage of rural credit and also provide livelihood security in vulnerable regions.

The Prime Minister himself had announced a major package for the revival of handloom industry, thereby taking steps to fulfil a key pledge of the Congress manfiesto, Ms Gandhi added.

The Congress President said her party was taking keen interest in the implementation of the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme in the 200 districts of the country. In the convention of the DCC President held recently, many useful suggestions had emerged, she noted, adding she was sure that the Government was giving serious consideration to them.

Mrs Gandhi called upon the Ministers to keep in their mind the need to involve the party organisation in the schemes that their Ministries have launched. ''Our party workers in different states not only want full information on our Government's major initiatives and programmes, they also want to be involved in a manner that enables them to participate effectively and ensure efficient implementation.'' Stating that there was a substantive legislative agenda in the monsoon session, she said the government was working on a draft bill for reservation for OBCs in central educational institutions. ''This was in pursuance of the decision taken at the UPA Coordination Committee meeting,'' she noted.

Ms Gandhi said she was particularly anxious to see that two laws relating to children -- the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Amendment Bill, 2005 and Prevention of Child Marriage Bill, 2004, were passed in this session.

UNI

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