All India Congress Committee (AICC) General Secretary Oscar Fernandes said here on Sunday that the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) Government was committed to the welfare of weaker sections of society.
Mr. Fernandes was speaking at the inauguration of the publicity campaign on the achievements of Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) Government organised by the Legal and Human Rights Department of Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) here.
Mr. Fernandes said that it was with this intention that the UPA Government had started the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee (MGNREGA) in its first stint (2004-09). This scheme had helped a large number of poor people in rural areas to get employment and earn a livelihood. The party intended to extend this scheme in every village of the country. The UPA Government had introduced the Food Security Bill in Parliament because it did not want any person in the country to starve. The aim was to ensure that there was no starvation death in the country. The former Prime Minister late Indira Gandhi had launched the “Garibi Hatao” programme to remove poverty. The former Prime Minister late Rajiv Gandhi had strengthened the Panchayat Raj system to empower people especially women at the village level, Mr. Fernandes said.
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