What CAG suggested is what Rajiv Gandhi had visualised

The entire country has now been discussing about the recent findings of the CAG report. While pointing out some of the scenarios India’s Comptroller and Audit General (CAG) Vinod Rai in his report has mentioned “The government and auditors are not adversaries but are on the same table since the objective is to upgrade governance and to ensure a totally leakage-free delivery system of government projects, schemes and practices to ensure there are no loopholes and lacunae”. By this what he meant was that the benefit of the schemes and policies meant for the people should reach them without any lapses, transparently.

One can recall now at this juncture what had our former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi had said. The creator of modern India and a great visionary late Rajiv Gandhi had had said that 85 paise per rupee allocated for development got siphoned off before reaching the intended beneficiaries. He also was very much concerned for the fact that the poor are unable to avail the benefits of the welfare funds sent for them by the government the way it should have been.

Further, his son and Congress General Secretary Rahul Gandhi also repeatedly quoted the statement of his late father on many occasions that when centre sanctions one rupee for the poor only 15 paisa reaches them. The young Congress MP from Amethi also has his own idea to ensure transparency in administration and he wants further upliftment of the downtrodden. Rahul Gandhi is having the opinion that Aadhar UID card will ensure more transparency in the safe passage of the central funds to the poor without any hindrance. "Every citizen of this country will have an identity card as a proof of their existence by the Aadhar scheme. Further the card will include the Bank account number along with the Aadhar Card Number so as to ensure connectivity and transparency and with this the Central funds will directly reach the account holder," argues Rahul Gandhi.

The recent CAG findings clearly underline an important aspect that what we urgently should do is to ensure transparency in public administration. If the government sends funds for the poor, it should reach the beneficiary without any loss. The country will advance further and surge ahead only if the government and the administration show the will-power to address this crucial issue. That is what Rajiv Gandhi wanted, Rahul Gandhi argues for and the entire countrymen have been eagerly waiting for.

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Rahul Gandhi: We should promote youth through democratic process

If we promote the youth through democratic processes, automatically he can grow more and can prove his ability for leadership. This is the way to promote more youngsters to leadership, said Rahul Gandhi. The Congress General Secretary was interacting with the media in Uttarakhand.

Rahul Gandhi talks about the Indians who were held captive by Somalian pirates

Congress General Secretary Rahul Gandhi is talking to the presspersons in Uttarakhand. He replied to various questions including the democratic process in the Youth Congress and NSUI. He also said that IUndia government is taking measures to get the 18 Indian freed from the captivity of Somalian pirates.

Sonia Gandhi, the guiding force behind Congress-led UPA government

UPA chairperson and Congress President Sonia Gandhi has been playing a crucial role in framing the important legislations and policies by the Congress-led UPA government at the centre. Information gathered through Right to Information Act reveals that she wrote almost one letter a month to the Prime Minister over the past two years.

This proves that Sonia Gandhi has been regularly giving directions to the United Progressive Alliance government and she has been making proper interventions for the legislations like food security, sexual offences against children, manual scavenging, communal violence, domestic workers and tribal welfare in particular.

As per the information the Congress President has written 25 letters to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and 17 letters to various Cabinet ministers since the National Advisory Council (NAC) was constituted for the second time in 2010.

Sonia Gandhi, who heads NAC, has actively championed her social reforms agenda by writing to the Prime Minister most often, as many as four times, on various aspects of the National Food Security Bill. Of the 17 letters written to Cabinet ministers, four related to the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee scheme, followed by three on issues pertaining to the Forest Rights Act.

This confirms that regular interventions by Sonia Gandhi were instrumental for some of the key bills introduced by the Centre. For instance, on January 14, 2011, Sonia Gandhi wrote to the Prime Minister, pointing out that domestic workers were not included in the Protection of Women against Sexual Harassment at Workplace Bill, 2010, a legislation that NAC had been examining. "Domestic work is under-valued and poorly regulated and the workers are often underpaid and ill-treated. Their workplace being the confines of private homes, domestic workers, especially live-in workers, are prone to sexual harassment and abuse," wrote the Congress President. "This being so, exclusion of domestic workers from the purview of the Bill enhances their vulnerability," added Sonia Gandhi. The final draft of the Bill, passed by the Cabinet in May 2012, duly includes her recommendation on domestic workers.

Sonia Gandhi continues to give firm but polite directives to the government. On August 20, 2010, the UPA chairperson wrote to the then law minister M Veerappa Moily, asking him to coordinate with the Ministry of Women and Child Development for an effective legislation to address sexual offences against children. "In the above context, the Ministry of Law and Justice may work in coordination with the Ministry of Women and Child Development to enable the finalisation of such a draft legislation, so that it can be brought to Parliament expeditiously," says the letter by Sonia Gandhi.

She wrote another letter to the then Home Minister P Chidambaram on January 18, 2011, on the issue of Jarawa tribes of Andaman and Nicobar islands. Raising concern over local tourism operations and the highway passing through the Jarawa reserve, Sonia Gandhi emphasised, "The Ministry of Home Affairs may coordinate with them (Tribal Affairs Ministry) so that all issues related to the Jarawa tribe are comprehensively addressed."

On October 27, 2010 Sonia Gandhi wrote to the prime minister saying, "As NAC firms up the draft Bill, it might be useful for the government to consider preparation for a timely and successful national roll-out of this ambitious Act."

The Congress President also suggested Dr. Singh on November 10, 2010, to consider the rural development ministry's proposal to involve the Registrar General and Census Commissioner to conduct socio-economic survey to gauge the number of below poverty line families. "May I suggest that the proposal mooted by MoRD be examined in your office," she wrote. Within seven months, the proposal was examined by the Prime Minister's office and got the Cabinet's approval on June 19, 2011.

The above mentioned facts prove beyond doubt that Sonia Gandhi played an important role in making many of the land mark policies by the UPA Government at the Centre. We can see the touch of Sonia Gandhi in National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme, Right to Information Act, Mid-day meal scheme for the school children, Sarva Siksha Abhiyan, Anti Communalism Bill and Food security Bill. Sonia Gandhi is also keen to get the Women Reservation Bill implemented.

Pt. Nehru dreamt a progressive Nation, Indira Gandhi took his dream forward, Rajiv Gandhi put the country among the top nations in the world and now Sonia Gandhi has been contributing high to make a strong and self reliant India.

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I see myself as a soldier of Congress and not a yuvraj

I do not like some people call me yuvraj of Congress, said Rahul Gandhi categorically while interacting with the press persons in Uttarakhand. I consider myself as a soldier of Youth Congress, NSUI and the Congress party. And I am totally against these term yuvraj, added Rahul Gandhi.

Sonia Gandhi visits the relief camps in Assam

Congress President and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi on Monday arrived in Assam's riot-hit districts of Kokrajhar and Dhubri to visit the relief camps in the state. Sonia Gandhi is accompanied by Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde, Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi, Assam Pradesh Congress president Bhubaneswar Kalita, Bodoland Territorial Council chief Hagrama Mohilary and state ministers.

Sonia Gandhi visited various relief camps where many refugees have still taken shelter. The refugee camps are still occupied by many people of the riot-hit community of Bodos and Muslims.

Sonia Gandhi said outside the Titaguri Relief Camp. "Naturally all refugees want to go back home, but this will take some more time till the situation is a little calmer."

"Once feelings are assuaged, the chief minister and others will make sure that they are able to go home," Sonia Gandhi said in a brief statement.

Sonia Gandhi also said that she asked the refugees whether they were facing any problem in the camp or had any complaints but they replied they had none. "The refugees said that they were receiving rations regularly. Only two children were unwell and the doctors will attend to them," said the Congress President.

Sonia Gandhi and the Home Minister are on a day-long visit to trouble-torn Kokrajhar and Dhubri districts. They will visit two relief camps each in both the districts and review the situation with the state chief minister.

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Sonia Gandhi to visit riot-hit Assam

Congress President and UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi will visit on Monday to Assam's troubled Kokrajhar and Dhubri districts, almost three weeks after it was affected by ethnic violence that left 77 people dead, and several lakhs displaced.

Her visit comes at a time when the Congress government led by Tarun Gogoi is facing criticism for not being able to contain the spread of violence. Sonia Gandhi who will be accompanied by Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde and the Assam Chief Minister, is expected to visit relief camps - housing members of Bodos and Muslims, the two communities affected by the violence.

Over 200,000 displaced people in lower Assam are crowding ill-equipped relief camps after they fled their villages as intense clashes broke out between Bodos and Bengali speaking settlers last month. About two-thirds of that massive number are Muslims. The politics over ethnic clashes in Assam spilled over to Mumbai where two people were killed and 55 others were injured after a peaceful protest turned violent near Azad Maidan on Saturday. 24 people have been arrested.

The visit by the Congress President will be a boost for the Congress government in the state as the CM Gagoi has been facing criticism for handling of the situation.

Meanwhile, the situation in violence hit Bodoland Territorial Area District (BTAD) has improved as no untoward incident has been reported, and security personnel have also been deployed at 104 fixed pickets. District administrations have closed 101 camps so far. Assam government has ordered a judicial enquiry into the BTAD and Dhubri district violence. CBI is also investigating seven cases.

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