IN THE SERVICE OF POOR: The Chief Minister, Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy, distributing cheques to beneficiaries as part of `Rajiv Nagara Baata' in Nalgonda on Thursday.

NALGONDA: The Congress Government is determined to construct a house with a latrine and give water tap connection with the round-the-clock supply facility for every poor family in all municipalities in the State, the Chief Minister, Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy, has announced.

``Efforts are on to complete the exercise in two to three years,'' he said while addressing a public meeting as part of `Rajiv Nagara Baata' in the town on Thursday. Earlier he announced extension of cheaper loan (0.25 per cent interest) facility for urban self-help groups.

As many as 135 self-help groups were given loans to the tune of Rs.45 lakhs at the public meeting. Recalling that he had announced the facility for rural self-help groups in Nalgonda district last year, he said that empowerment of women was his Government's main aim. "Sonia Gandhi specially told me to bring back cheer on the faces of women, who were neglected in the last 10 years. She also told me that there was no dearth of funds to achieve this objective,'' he maintained.

SLB works

Dr. Reddy reiterated that the SLBC tunnel works would be taken up at a cost of Rs.3,000 crores soon. The administrative sanction (Go.147) for the project was accorded, one year after Dr. Reddy had announced the Government's decision to go ahead with the long-pending project.

Reiterating that the safe drinking water would be supplied to all fluoride-hit villages in Nalgodna district, he said that another Rs.250 crores would be spent for the purpose in the next two years. He assured farmers that an action plan would come into force in the next three to four days with regard to the lift irrigation schemes.

The Chief Minister laid foundation for works worth Rs.24 crores in the town. The Home Minister, K.Jana Reddy, and the local MLA, K.Venkat Reddy, spoke.

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