Sonia keen on fulfilling promises: AP CM

Hyderabad, Apr 9 (UNI) Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy today said his Government had implemented its major poll promises, including free power to farmers and loans to women Self Help Groups(SHGs) at a low three per cent interest.

''Congress President Sonia Gandhi is very particular that only implementable poll promises should be made and they should be kept overcoming all hurdles'', he revealed while replying to the debate on the motion of thanks to the Governor for his address.

Dr Reddy asserted that the Congress Government had kept its major poll promises, including waiver of power dues of peasants, unlike the previous Telegu Desam Party(TDP) Government, which had scrapped the promises of Rs two-a-kg rice, prohibition and subsidised power after dethroning the N T Rama Rao Government in a coup.

Denying the Oppositon charge that the Government had not kept its promise of free power to all one-bulb houses, he said power consumption for one bulb for one month had been assessed at Rs ten and the same had been reduced from the bills of those poor people consuming less than 15 units of power.

Maintaining that the Government had only promised to provide free power for nine hours, he criticised the TDP Government for the present power shortage. The power position would improve once the mega power projects being taken up by the Congress Government now were commissioned, he added.

He announced a hike in DA from Rs 25 to Rs 50 to Gram Sevaks in the state, which would cost the exchequer Rs 1.50 crore, despite ''financial problems.

The Chief Minister assured the House to appoint Chairman to the Scheduled Castes Commission in keeping with its promise before April 14 and implement the Government Order 610 on reservation of jobs on a regional basis, revive the Wakf Board, implement the Sachchar Committee's recommendations and the Prime Minister's 15-point programme for minorities.

Referring to the BJP Floor Leader G Kishan Reddy's complaint of kerosene shortage, the Chief Minister charged the previous NDA Government at the Centre for cutting the state's quota.

He wanted the legislators to take part in the ''Prajapatham'' in a big way from April 14 to solve the problems of the people of the respective constituencies.

Speaker K R Suresh Reddy adjourned the State Assembly sine die after the House adopted the motion by voice vote.

UNI