PM heads NE, pitches hard for Congress, UPA

With just a week left for Mizoram to go for polls, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today made a strong pitch for the UPA, claiming the Centre has contributed immensely in making Indians healthier and increasing their average lifespan by five years.

With just a week left for Mizoram to go for polls, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Saturday made a strong pitch for the UPA, claiming the Centre has contributed immensely in making Indians healthier and increasing their average lifespan by five years.

The PM talked about employment avenues of the New Land Use Policy (NLUP) introduced by the Congress in the state, promising central assistance to make it better if the party is voted to power.

Singh praised Mizoram chief minister Lal Thanhawla for implementing the NLUP that has targeted 1,35,000 households and helped increase the incomes of farmers and the poor in the state. The efficacy of the programme is reflected in the performance of agriculture and allied sectors, he said.

“The UPA government’s policies and programmes for rapid and inclusive growth are showing good results. We have seen a record average rate of economic growth in the last nine years, which is higher than what we have achieved in any other decade so far,” Singh said at Mualpui in Aizawl.

Mualpui falls under the Aizawl South-II assembly seat represented by Lt Col Zosangliana of the Congress.

Singh, while highlighting the positive developments of the Congress, said the poverty rate in the state came down rapidly and consumption in rural areas increased.

The Congress in Mizoram won 32 out of a maximum 40 seats in the 2008 assembly elections. The party hopes to ride the NLUP ‘success’ to retain power.