NAC includes food security, employment

The National Advisory Council constituted for implementing the United Progressive Alliance's common minimum programme in its maiden meeting on Saturday decided to include food security, agriculture and employment in its 10 policy papers, which will be prepared in a fortnight, NAC member K V Krishnamurthy said.

Chaired by Congress chief Sonia Gandhi, the meeting held in Sonia's 10 Janpath residence included various experts who have been requisitioned by her to finetune the government's strategy for implementing the CMP in the concerned sectors.

The Congress chief is also the chairperson of the United Progressive Alliance government headed by prime minister Manmohan Singh.

Krishnamurthy pointed out that the other subjects on which the policy papers would be prepared are education, health, administration, science, technology, tribal welfare and manufacturing.

"We had discussion on all the points raised for (implementing) the common minimum programme and there was a free and frank discussion based on the knowledge that each one of the members have.

"We have broadly classified the problems that have been broached in the common minimum programme in 10 broad areas. And hopefully, the next two weeks we hope to prepare a policy paper in the concerned areas," Krishnamurthy told reporters.

The function of the NAC has been conceptualised as a social audit of the government's programme, which it aspires to implement through the CMP.

The 12-member committee, apart from Sonia, has Arun Bhatnagar, who is its secretary.

The members include C H Hanumantha Rao, technology whiz kid Sam Pitroda, food security expert Jean Dreze, health expert Mirai Chatterjee and Madhav Chavan associated with primary education, among others.