Date:27/10/2007 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2007/10/27/stories/2007102759120700.htm
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White Paper on Central funds sought

Photo: Subir Roy

UPCC chief Rita Bahuguna Joshi at a press conference in Lucknow on Friday.

Lucknow: Flaying the Mayawati Government for laxity in implementing various centrally-sponsored schemes, the Uttar Pradesh Congress on Friday demanded a white paper on the spending of such funds by the present and previous dispensation of the State.

“The Uttar Pradesh government should issue a White Paper on spending of Central funds meant for various welfare schemes not just of this year but also during the tenure of former Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav,” UPCC president Rita Bahuguna Joshi told reporters here.

Presenting the figures, Ms Joshi accused the present and previous regimes of not utilising the money which she claimed had been hiked thrice in as many years for the State’s development.

Alleging that funds worth crores of rupees for the Backward development programme, Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan, Gramin Rozgar Yojna have not been properly utilised, she claimed that as a result of this, several people were committing suicide.

Accusing Mayawati of adopting an apathetic attitude, the Congress leader said that even after 300 deaths in Gorakhpur due to encephalitis, neither the Chief Minister nor any of her ministers had visited the district.

On organisational revamping of the Congress, Ms. Joshi said a blueprint of future planning would be released soon, adding as per the directive of party president Sonia Gandhi, the State unit would go to the grass root level and conduct social auditing and gather information about the central schemes to rebuild the party.

Maintaining that the party was in favour of smaller States, she demanded setting up of second states reorganisation Commission by the government. -- PTI

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