Thursday, May 25 2006 17:07 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

New Delhi: Congress is expected to finalise its strategy tomorrow (May 26, 2006) on how best to utilise the ambitious National Employment Guarantee Scheme launched by the party-led UPA coalition to tone up the organisation and build its support base for the next polls.

The AICC has organised a day-long Convention here in which party office-bearers, CLP leaders, chief ministers and PCC presidents from 200 districts where the National Employment Guarantee Scheme was in operation, would be participating.

The Convention, which would be addressed by Party chief Sonia Gandhi and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, was aimed at getting feedback on the way the scheme was being implemented amid complaints that non-Congress governments in the states, including those of the BJP, were attempting to take credit for the scheme.

Both Gandhi as well as Singh were expected to be showcasing the scheme to the partymen from these districts as also directing them to interact with people directly to ascertain the facts regarding implementation of the scheme.



Under the scheme, the Government has decided to provide atleast 100 days employment in a year to atleast one person in each family.

The significant aspect of the meeting was that all most all the 200 districts were from opposition-ruled states where Congress did not do well in the lost Lok Sabha polls.

The 200 districts comprise about equal number of Lok Sabha seats and there have been opinions unless party improves its position in these constituencies it would be difficult to improve party position in the next polls.