Sonia to urge Centre for special package

Kadapa, Andhra Pradesh, Sep 27 (UNI) UPA chairperson and Congress president Sonia Gandhi today said she would prevail upon the Centre to expedite the announcement of special package to 16 drought-hit districts of Andhra Pradesh.

Speaking at public meetings at Kadapa and Kurnool districts, Ms Gandhi said the UPA Government at the Centre and the Congress Government in the state were doing their best to fulfil their promises.

Alleging that the policies of the NDA Government at the Centre and the TDP Government in the state were responsible for farmers' suicides, she said the farmer-friendly policies of the present governments could reduce it.

Ms Gandhi paid tributes to Kotla Vijaya Bhaskara Reddy, whom she described as the most favourite son of Kurnool and reminded it was he who had introduced the subsidy rice scheme for the poor at Rs 1.90 per kg.

Ms Gandhi also assured the state government that the Centre would support the state in its ambitious Jala Yagnam (Irrigation Initiative) under which 73 lakh acres of land was brought under irrigation with Rs 60,000 crore investment.

Ms Gandhi lauded the efforts of Rajasekhara Reddy Government in implementation of welfare schemes and said the INDIRAMMA scheme was aimed at creating basic amenities in the villages.

She also said the state stood first in implementating the National Rural Employment Guarantee Programme (NREGP) and advised other states to emulate the example.

( Editors pick suitably from earlier series) UNI JRK JJ AK HT1940