The Hindu : Karnataka News : UPA committed to welfare of weaker sections: Oscar

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Aug 01, 2004

Karnataka

Karnataka - Others

UPA committed to welfare of weaker sections: Oscar

By Our Staff Correspondent

BYNDOOR (UDUPI DT.), JULY 31. The Union Minister of State for Programme Implementation and Statistics, Oscar Fernandes, on Saturday reiterated that the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) Government at the Centre was committed to the welfare of the weaker sections of society. He was speaking at a Congress workers' convention organised by the Byndoor Block Congress Committee here.

Mr. Fernandes said the UPA Government laid emphasis on poverty alleviation programmes. The Government would provide employment to farmers and workers in 150 districts of the country in the first phase, he added.

Farmers

The Centre intended to provide more financial assistance to farmers as most of them were in debt, he said and noted that the allocation for the education sector had been increased to six per cent in the Union Budget. Though there had been a lot of development in the country after Independence, the fact remained that a significant chunk of the people were still living below the poverty line. This called for measures to uplift them, he said.

Sonia hailed

Mr. Fernandes noted that in the recent general elections, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had made the Congress President, Sonia Gandhi, the butt of its attacks. The party had repeatedly raised the issue of her foreign origin. All the media surveys had spoken of the National Democratic Alliance coming back to power. But the electorate of the country had made their choice, he said.

The Minister noted that Ms. Gandhi had not entered politics for seven years after the death of her husband, Rajiv Gandhi. But she had to take the plunge to revive the party, he said and added that gaining power was not her intention.

He said that under her leadership, the party had come to power in 17 States. Ms. Gandhi had laid emphasis on the implementation of programmes for the uplift of people from the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes in the first conference of the Congress Chief Ministers called by her, Mr. Fernandes said.

Fisheries

In his introductory remarks, the Byndoor MLA, Gopal Poojary, demanded that the budgetary allocation for the fisheries sector by both the Union and State governments be increased.

Pratapchandra Shetty, MLC; U. Vanajakshi, President of the Udupi Zilla Panchayat; Anant Movady, President of the Kundapur Taluk Panchayat; M.A. Gafoor, President of the District Congress Committee; and Vinaykumar Sorake, Vasanth Salian, Ashok Kodavoor, P. Basavaraj, and K. Rangegowda of the Congress were present.

Globalisation

Later speaking at a felicitation function organised at Green Valley National School here, Mr. Fernandes said that globalisation had made it essential to provide quality education so that the country could retain its competitive edge.

He noted that the founder of the Manipal educational institutions, the late T.M.A. Pai, was responsible for heralding an educational revolution in the district.

Though many people of his times decried his attempts, T.M.A. Pai had created quality educational institutions, he said.

J.A. Rocque, principal of Green Valley National School, welcomed the gathering. Sayeed proposed a vote of thanks.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Karnataka

News Update

Stories in this Section

UPA committed to welfare of weaker sections: Oscar

Gangooru Dalits to be rehabilitated

`Jain Kashi' set to become eco-tourism spot

Efforts on to improve BSNL services

Officials told to seize bogus ration cards

Move to bring anganwadis under panchayats flayed

Central team visits Dandeli

Crop insurance released