UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi today said the time has come to keep a 'close watch' on imports in critical and sensitive areas. Although she didnot specify the sensitive areas, party leaders explained that she meantagriculture and cottage industries.She made the remarks in her address at the general body meeting of theCongress Parliamentarty Party (CPP) today, which was attended by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and party MPs.Stressing the need to continue with a special focus on small and marginalfarmers through measures like agriculture credit, she said that it is timenow to push through the recommendations of the National Commission onFarmers, particularly those relating to irrigation, dryland farming,horticulture and food processing.A week before the Union Budget, Congress president emphasised the need to strengthen the tax collection systems significantly to curtail unproductive, non-essential expenditure and eliminate wasteful utilisation of resources.These measures are needed to finance the flagship programmes like theNational Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA) , Bharat Nirman, the national rural health mission, Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan and the mid-day meal scheme, she added."I am sure that our flagship programmes will be adequately funded (in thenext budget)," Gandhi said. The UPA Chairperson said that the economicgrowth will be placed on firmer footiung as the government takes steps toboost the manufacturing sector, particularly textiles, handlooms and handicrafts, agro-processing and leather.Congressmen have been complaining to the party president about someBJP-ruled states claiming credit for NREGA. Without referring to theBJP, Gandhi said today that there has been "misleading propaganda" about the employment guarantee programme being an initiative of the stategovernments whereas the fact is that 90% of the funding comes fromthe UPA government."Had we not been in power, the Act would not be in place. I know the Prime Minister is looking into this, but our party leaders and workers must be very active in countering this misleading propaganda," Gandhi told the MPs and CPP office-bearers.
