New Delhi: Soon after a meeting with left party leaders, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today (Sep 18, 2004) announced that the Food-For-Work Programme would be launched next month targeting 150 villages in the first phase and the non-lapseable fund from the education cess functional from tomorrow (Sep 19, 2004).

"Government is launching the Food-For-Work Programme next month and targeting 150 villages in the first phase," he said launching the website of the National Advisory Council (NAC) headed by Congress president Sonia Gandhi at his residence in New Delhi.

The Prime Minister said, "The Finance Minister has in a letter to me yesterday (Sep 17, 2004) said the education cess which is a non-lapseable fund would be operational from tomorrow."

Saying that planning had in the past suffered due to "top-down approach", which was also highlighted by late Rajiv Gandhi, the Prime Minister said there was need to involve Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) in the planning process.

He said the NAC was set up to fill the gap between Government and the people and help in implementing the CMP (Common Minimum Programme) of the UPA (United Progressive Alliance).

The Prime Minister said NAC could give valuable inputs to the Government on various aspects of development to enable it to act on.