Cong can look after welfare of all sections: Srinivas

Hyderabad, May 14 (UNI) Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) President D Srinivas today said only the Congress could look after the welfare of all sections of people and maintain the integrity of the country.

Addressing party workers at the Rededication Day, on the successful completion of four years in office of Y S Rajasekhara Reddy Government at Lal Bahadur Stadium here, he said the party was committed to the welfare of the poor people. The UPA government at the Centre and the Congress government in the state were pursuing pro-people policies and had taken up several developmental schemes during the last four years, he claimed.

Stating that the Congress stood for communal peace and socialism, he said the party had always worked for the upliftment of the backward classes in the country.

State Finance Minister K Rosaiah said the party's Rededication Day celebration was to review the progress in developmental activities taken up by the government in the last four years. It would also look into the new welfare schemes to be taken for the benefit of the people, he added.

He said the government had also taken up irrigation projects under ''Jalayagnam'' scheme to provide water to the remote areas. The government had also taken up 79 projects and earmaked huge funds for these projects in the budget.

Mr Rosaiah alleged that the Opposition TDP during its nine-year rule in the state had allocated only Rs 10,170 crore in the budget.

He said the government was functioning in a transparent manner and hence it had ordered judicial and CBI inquiries into all the allegations made by TDP to prove its innocence.

The government had taken up construction of houses in the state to provide houses for the poor people and earmarked Rs 5,800 crore this year in the budget for the scheme. It had also decided to provide pensions to 60 lakh aged, widows and physically challenged people.

Earlier, the Chief Minister and the PCC president hoisted the party flag. The party adopted five resolutions moved by various leaders.

In a resolution, the party praised the efforts of AICC general Secretary Rahul Gandhi for conducting the Bharat Yatra to know the problems of the people of the backward areas in the country.

The party adopted another resolution for the successful completion of four years in office by the UPA government, headed by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, and also the ruling Congress government in the state, headed by Dr Reddy.

The party had also complimented the UPA government for introducing the Women Reservation Bill in Rajya Sabha.

UNI BR VA SP GC1653