The Congress President Ms Sonia Gandhi today urged the government to extend necessary assistance to the drought affected areas of the country. Speaking at the Congress Parliamentary Party meeting in Delhi, Ms Gandhi also said, the party organisation too must be active in relief and rehabilitation activities in those areas. She said, Congress is fully committed to strengthening federalism, which is a key tenet of party and the UPA’s agenda. Ms Gandhi said, trust and cooperation must be the anchor of Centre-State relations. She also said, the UPA is committed to working closely with state governments to protect national interest and fighting terrorism. She urged the Congress MPs to highlight the failures of state governments where mis-governance and corruption have been widespread.

The Congress President said, the recent budget renews priority for faster and inclusive growth. She said, despite the tough fiscal situation, the budget has increased allocations for key social programmes such as rural drinking water, sanitation and rural roads. Ms Gandhi also said, the budget has also increased the outlay for the Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana, substantially.