Sonia Gandhi inaugurates tourism guest house, more roads in Rae Bareli

UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi started the second day of her three day visit to Rae Bareli from Anandi Devi Mandir in Bhitargaon, where she inaugurated a guest house made by the Tourism Development Department.

Rae Bareli, Oct.17 : UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi started the second day of her three day visit to Rae Bareli from Anandi Devi Mandir in Bhitargaon, where she inaugurated a guest house made by the Tourism Development Department.

She also inaugurated a rain shelter in Bhitargaon and some roads under the Prime MInister'si Gram Sadak Yojana scheme.

She distributed tri-cycles to the handicapped in Rae Bareli at the ITI Guest House. She also gave away 11-cheques worth fifteen thousand each to individuals to buy goats and earn their livelihoods through them.

She attended public meetings at Pilkha, Bhira, Govindpur, Vishvanathganj Chauraha, Sahjoura and Ramnagar.

She called it a day after meeting the local party leaders and discussing issues with them.

On Tuesday,she launched several developmental projects, including a 220-kv power sub-station, nine new road construction projects under the Prime Minister's Gram Sadak Yojana at Churva.

"Availability of electricity will have a positive effect on the people of the area. Power is one of the fundamental needs of the people today, thus we should not waste it as it is scarce," she said after inaugurating the power station.

Sonia, who was accompanied by Union Power Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde, said that the UPA government is targeting to electrify all homes by 2012.

"Under the Rajiv Gandhi Electrification Scheme we are targeting 1737 villages and more than two lakhs homes are being electrified, out of which 1.75 lakh homes will get free connections till 2008," she added.

She took stock of the National Dairy Development Board's unit in Bachrawan, Kundanganj, Harchnadpur and Dusauti.

She also visited the Hariyali Kishan Bazar in Didauli and inaugurated a computer laboratory at the Firoze Gandhi Engineering College.

She has assured social activists that the UPA will consider working out a land policy and creation of a National Land Commission to protect the interests of people in rural areas, tribals and Dalits.

The assurance was given to a group of activists led by Magsaysay Award winner Aruna Roy.

Gandhi assured the delegation that she would speak with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on the issues raised by the activists upon his return from his visit to Nigeria and South Africa.

The activists have already given a copy of a Land Policy that they have drafted to the Prime Minister.

The activists met Gandhi even as around 25,000 tribals and farmers have undertaken a march to the national capital from Gwalior demanding that their land rights be protected. The marchers will reach Delhi on October 29.

ANI