The Congress Working Committee (CWC) met today to review the drought situation and the prices of essential commodities in the country. It appreciated the steps being taken by the government under the leadership of Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh to ensure that distress caused by the drought situation is addressed effectively and speedily, and that the prices of essential commodities are kept under control.

The CWC called upon :-

1. The PCCs, DCCs, BCCs, and Party Workers to get fully involved in the management of the drought situation in the affected districts of India. Their role should involve making people aware of their entitlements and ensuring they get access to their due entitlements. It should also involve ground level monitoring of the implementation of the drought management measures that have been initiated by the Government. These activities by Party Workers will ensure that the relief measures being implemented reach the intended beneficiaries in a timely manner. Party Workers should also function as a feedback mechanism to the Party and Government on the implementation of the scheme, providing regular feedback to the AICC General Secretaries concerned undertaken in the affected Districts. The PCCs, DCCs, BCCs, and Party Workers must work in close coordination with each other to ensure that there is effective deployment of Party Workers for this task. They must also work in cooperation with the implementing Government authorities such as the District Administrations, such that their efforts are complementary to the government programmes.

2. The Government to give special focus to the implementation of the NREGA and other welfare schemes in the affected districts. The government must ensure that the NREGA, the flagship employment guarantee scheme of the UPA government, which provide 100 days of employment to rural households, is implemented with particular focus in the drought-hit-districts. The NREGA is expected to provide critical minimum livelihood support to drought affected families, and it is imperative to ensure that this is implemented efficiently. To this end, the State Government must ensure that job cards are made available, appropriate public work activities are created, flow of funds to the grassroot level is done smoothly, wages are paid in a timely and transparent manner, and there is no misappropriation of funds. The State Governments must also ensure that a similar implementation focus is maintained for the other welfare schemes operating in these districts. The frontline onus for ensuring this must be taken up by the State government, district administrations and local governments. The party workers should also utilize the Right To Information Act for the successful implementation of the NREGA and other welfare schemes.

3. The Party and Government to observe austerity measures to reflect our concern and sensitivity. While large parts of the country are going through difficult drought conditions and prices of essential commodities are high, the Party and the Government have responsibility to not only address these problems, but to also demonstrate austerity in the conduct and activities of their functionaries. This will reflect our Party's and Government's solidarity with those who are facing the brunt of the drought situation.

4. The Government to continue to keep the strictest vigil on prices of essential commodities and take proactive steps to keep these prices in check. In drought affected periods, there is a propensity for prices of essential commodities to rise due to real and artificial scarcities. The government must take every effort to ensure that prices of essential commodities, especially of basic foodgrains, are kept in check, so that these remain affordable to the poor and common man. Adequate supplies of essential commodities must be ensured through the public distribution system. Activities like hoarding, which create artificial scarcities, should be checked and hoarders should be punished in the strictest possible ways.