Bangalore: As a first step towards honouring poll promises, Congress today (July 1, 2004) said welfare programmes such as ban online lottery, supply of rice to poor at Rs 3 per kilogram and extension of mid-day meal scheme to high-school students would become part of the Common Minimum Programme (CMP) of the coalition Government that would be unveiled soon.

Setting up of an Agricultural Development Corporation to help farmers, extending farm credit at the lowest interest rate of four per cent, supply of free uniform and text books to poor students, stepping up welfare measures to benefit SCs and STs were the other highlights to find place in the CMP, Karnataka Chief Minister N Dharam Singh told reporters.

Singh who chaired the meeting of Congress leaders to decide the programmes to be included in the CMP on behalf of Congress, defended the delay in finalisation of CMP, saying, "Since it is a vital issue, we did not want to complete the exercise in haste."

He said a meeting of Congress and Janata Dal - Secular (JD-S) coalition partners would be held here on July 4 at which the CMP would be given final shape and announced before the presentation of the State's Budget, scheduled for July 19.

Singh said some issues needed to discussed threadbare before being included under CMP, which ultimately would become the Government programme of both parties.

Singh asserted that there existed a clear understanding between Congress and JD-S in the State and this has been demonstrated during the last week's Rajya Sabha elections by defeating BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party).