NEW DELHI: Reacting sharply to his Cabinet colleague Mani Shankar Aiyar's remark that the United Progressive Alliance Government's policies benefited only a few, Union Rural Development Minister Raghuvansh Prasad Singh on Tuesday said the Panchayati Raj Minister should learn lessons from the Ministries entrusted with implementing pro-poor schemes.

"Mr. Aiyar should learn a few things from the Rural Development Ministry. He does not know the facts and should have ascertained details before speaking out against the government. Mr. Aiyar himself has failed to spend the Backward Regions Grant Fund for the development of backward districts of the country under which his Ministry received Rs 3,700 crore in 2006-07," Mr. Singh told reporters on the eve of a national conference and exposition on rural roads here.

"What will Mr. Aiyar talk about the poor when he doesn't know a thing about them?

Mr. Singh said the National Democratic Alliance Government had finalised a Rs 76,000-crore outlay for the Tenth Plan and in the last three years of the Plan, the UPA Government spent Rs 1.14 lakh crore.

It implemented employment guarantee schemes and took several other measures for the uplift of the poor. "One needs to see what is being done for the poor by the Government."

PM to inaugurate meet

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will inaugurate the two-day conference on Wednesday and Vice-President Bhairon Singh Shekhawat will deliver the keynote address on Thursday. Dr. Singh will also release "Rural Roads Plan: Vision-2025" on the occasion. The participants will share their experience in development of rural roads.

Under the centrally sponsored Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana to provide all-weather connectivity to habitations of 500-plus in the plains and 250 or more in the hill States, deserts and tribal areas, more than 1.22 lakh km of roads have been laid at a cost of Rs 21.365 lakh. Work is in progress on projects covering another one lakh km.

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