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Gehlot seeks Centre's help for welfare schemes

By Our Special Correspondent

JAIPUR JUNE 6. The Rajasthan Chief Minister, Ashok Gehlot, today asked the Centre to help the State Governments in introducing schemes like crop insurance, mid-day meals and employment guarantee programme. "The Centre should take the initiative considering the weak financial position of the States and talk to the respective Governments,'' he said.

In an interaction with mediapersons before the commencement of a two-day "Chintan shivir''(introspection camp) of his Council of Ministers at the Rajasthan Institute of Public Administration premises here this morning, Mr. Gehlot said that deaths due to starvation and farmers' suicides after crops failures would not take place if the schemes were in place.

``It is for the Centre to see how it works out. Without the Centre's help the States, already in financial crises, would not be able to do it,'' Mr. Gehlot said. Rajasthan was keen to introduce the crop insurance scheme but consecutive years of drought in the State had made it impossible for it to think of finding resources. "If the Centre come forward to help, we will consider what we could do from our side,'' he said.

As for the employment guarantee scheme on the pattern of Maharashtra, Mr. Gehlot said the Sampoorna Gramin Rozgar Yogna(SGRY) was initially meant to be an employment guarantee scheme. It was later bifurcated by the Centre after reducing the allocations, he said. The State has already introduced the mid-day meal scheme, he noted.

Talking about the recommendation the State Cabinet had made a fortnight ago for introduction of reservation for the poor among the forward castes, Mr. Gehlot alleged that the Centre so far did not take any step towards its realisation. "The State Government's move seemingly unnerved the BJP which has been making contradictory statements ever since,'' he noted.

Mr. Gehlot suggested that the Centre talk to the political parties on this issue and legislate on it in the next session of Parliament.

``The whole nation has welcomed the recommendation of the Rajasthan Government for 14 per cent reservation to the poor among the castes not yet included in any kind of reservation so far,'' Mr. Gehlot claimed. "For the first time, the Scheduled Castes, Tribes and the OBCs too have welcomed it,'' he pointed out.

Mr. Gehlot said the "Chintan shivir'' here would discuss drought, management of relief, the farm sector, issues related to SC, ST, OBC, Minorities and women. Drought management at present was the best ever in the history of Rajasthan and the party president Sonia Gandhi appreciated it in the recent meeting of the Congress Chief Ministers in Srinagar, he pointed out. The Prime Minister too had appreciated it, he said.

The State Council of Ministers had been meeting after every Chief Ministers' conclave for follow-up action of the decision taken there. "We want to be the first to implement the decisions,'' he said.

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