Puducherry: AICC General Secretary Rahul Gandhi has said that the "biggest task" facing India was elimination of poverty and assured the nation that the government is going to use all its resources to win the battle. Addressing an election rally at Villianoor near here on Thursday, Rahul said both the Central and Puducherry governments believed that without helping the poor and the weaker sections, we cannot make the country move forward.
While the country was growing at eight per cent, the rate in Puducherry was 14 per cent, he said. Puducherry administration had earmarked one fourth of the
its entire budgetary allocations for the social front and for alleviation of poverty, he said. "Today Puducherry is among the states with the highest rate of literacy in the country", he said.
Stressing on the importance of women in the developmental process, Rahul said it was so significant that a quota of reservation had been created for them in Panchayati Raj system. "We are going to do the same in the MLA and MP system
as well", he added. He said that both the governments at the Centre and in Puducherry had created a fast economic growth. "We believe in inclusive growth," he said and asserted that everyone should be taken along in this process.
Praising the Puducherry government for its achievements, Rahul said the Union Territory government had an annual plan allocation of Rs 2,000 crore. The 'Mangalam project' for the welfare of women had ensured financial inclusion of women in process of growth and developmental activities, he said.
In addition to making Puducherry an educational hub attracting students from all over the country, the Puducherry government was also working on making the Karaikal Port a major commercial hub, he said.
Hailing the Youth Congress, Rahul said he was "very proud" of what it had achieved as it was the "first democratically elected political organisation in the country".
"If we want to change the way politics works in this country, we have to bring in youth from all backgrounds and from all the communities as they understand the needs of the youth in education, health care, and employment sectors", he said. Youth Congress was the only organisation in the country that was systematically doing this, he claimed.
Puducherry Chief Minister Vaithilingam thanked the UPA government and also Rahul Gandhi for their sustained cooperation in the developmental activities of Puducherry.
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