State Cong dissolves central scheme monitoring units

"After obtaining permission from All India Congress Committee, the state president has dissolved the state-level committees led by state presidents/chairmen and their state-level units," party spokesperson Zishan Haider said. "However, the chairmen/presidents at the district/city level will continue to function in consultation with district/city presidents," Haider said.

As preparation for 2012 Assembly elections, former state president Rita Bahuguna Joshi had formed various committees in 2011 to monitor Centre's 16 flagship programmes, such as National Rural Health Mission, Jawahar Lal Nehru Urban Renewal Mission, Sarv Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA), among others.

"After the elections, most committees have seen little activity," said a senior party leader. "Barring 2-3 committees, the units did not even organise meetings," he said.

Sanjay Dixit-led Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) monitoring committee has also been dissolved. Under present Union Minister of External Affairs Salman Khurshid, who was the state Congress president before Rita Joshi, a committee to monitor NREGA was formed in 2006. The MGNREGA monitoring committee was among the most active, releasing list of 'scams' worth crores which led to the Mayawati government suspending officials in 2010. In July 2011, Dixit joined eight others who were appointed to monitor various flagship programmes. In the following months of 2011, five others appointments were made.

10-year-old 'raped'

A 10-year-old girl was allegedly raped by a man in Gosainganj area on Saturday. The girl was critically injured and was admitted at the trauma centre at KGMU. The police said the incident took place at 10 am when the girl, daughter of a labourer, had gone to attend nature's call in the fields near her village. Pooranmasi (45), a resident of the same village, raped her in the fields and fled, police said.

Janak Prasad Dwivedi, Circle Officer (Mohanlalganj), said the girl was critically injured and is undergoing treatment. He said the girl was discovered by some villagers who reached there on hearing her screams.

The CO said that earlier also Pooranmasi, a farmer, had been involved in a case of sexual assault in another police station area. Gosainganj Station Officer Ram Prasad Yadav said they have lodged a case of rape against the accused and are trying to arrest him.

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