The Hindu : Front Page : Plenary to focus on rural job scheme

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Jan 20, 2006

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Plenary to focus on rural job scheme

W. Chandrakanth

Congress to identify ways and means to fulfil `nayi zimedaari'

HYDERABAD: The AICC plenary to begin here on Saturday will be in search of identifying ways and means to fulfil the party's "nayi zimedaari" or the new responsibility of spreading the rural employment net and providing succour to the most backward sections of society.

That is the task to be entrusted to delegates by AICC president Sonia Gandhi, who has approved the exercise of recasting the priorities of governance to suit the party's slogan of `Bharat nirman' based on experiences of the past and by accepting new challenges.

Identification of the reasons for the alienation of dalits and other weaker sections from the party in several States will also come up for discussion. The focus will be on evolving a strategy to woo them back into the party fold.

After the extended Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting at 3 p.m. on January 21, there will be a presentation of the UPA Government's performance. On the second day, the subjects committee will meet to discuss the draft resolutions after the general secretaries' reports are read out. The deliberations on resolutions on political and economic affairs will be guided in such a manner as to remain in tune with the resolution on agriculture-employment-poverty alleviation, being introduced for the first time in the AICC plenary.

According to information available to The Hindu, all these discussions will be influenced by the slogan "Ateet ki neev, bharat nirman, nayi zimedaari" (foundation of the past, reconstruction of the nation and new responsibility) which has been endorsed by the party president.

Farm crisis

Congress sources say that although the plenary may not officially acknowledge the crisis in the agrarian sector, it is not going to ignore either the fact that the farm output is growing at a pace which is not enough to boost the economic growth rate from present 7 per cent to 8 per cent. Another dimension of issue is the fact that two thirds of the country's population are still dependent on agriculture and that a second green revolution is needed. Meanwhile, as delegates from various parts of the country began arriving here, the APCC is besieged with last-minute requests for passes to attend the plenary. But, the Congress leaders are expressing helplessness since all such applications are subject to police scrutiny before ID cards are issued.

Arrangements

Special Correspondent adds: Congress leaders are racing against time to complete the arrangements for the plenary even as the security forces took up positions at the world-class Gachibowli stadium (rechristened Rajiv Nagar).

Most of the PCC leaders under the supervision of the AICC office-bearers were busy overseeing the last minute arrangements. Hectic activity was witnessed inside and outside the stadium where the workers were giving finishing touches to cutouts and portraits of Congress leaders.

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