The Hindu : National : Raghuvansh Prasad unhappy

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, May 25, 2004

National

National

Raghuvansh Prasad unhappy

By Our Staff Correspondent

NEW DELHI, MAY 24. Obviously unhappy with the separation of Panchayati Raj from his Ministry, the new Union Rural Development Minister, Raghuvansh Prasad Singh, said he would look into the circumstances that led to the division of the Ministry.

"Rural development schemes can successfully be implement only through the gram sabhas and I intend to strengthen these. I will certainly look into why this department was separated from the Ministry," he told reporters after assuming office here today.

Going beyond the boundaries of his home state Bihar from where he won the Lok Sabha election on the Rashtriya Janata Dal ticket, Mr. Singh said he would hold interactions with all the State Governments to ascertain their problems that often led to the non-utilisation of funds allocated under Central schemes. "I am not only talking about Bihar but all States and I assure that justice would be done to all," he said. But he did say that an economic package had been promised for Bihar.

Suggesting that he would not outright discontinue the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana, Mr. Singh said he would discuss the scheme with the States since they were the implementing agencies and correct irregularities, if any. Along with Mr. Singh were the two Ministers of State, A. Narendra and Suryakanta Patil.

Pointing out that he could not "feel good" until the rural poor got a better life, Mr. Singh said the priority should be to provide facilities at the village level to prevent youth from migrating to the cities. "We need to lift the 26-27 per cent of population above the poverty line. It is a shame that people still do not have food to eat and clothes to wear," he said.

Asked if there was anything good that the previous Government had done, Mr. Singh said if it were so, they would not have been voted out of power.

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