Union Minister K H Muniyappa said that to get independence did not mean that one should rule. The Centre was running the administration to see that every India was economically, socially and educationally equal and this should be the basic mantra.

Addressing a press conference, here on Wednesday, he said in order to realise the dream of Mahatma Gandhi of achieving rural independence the Centre had chalked out several programmes.  In order to address the problems of the farmers in the country, the PM had made the Vidarbha package.

Similarly even Karnataka had got the package. Also the welfare of the labourers was also being looked into and he had come forward to revive BGML in KGF. A global tender will be called for and the mines will be started again, he said.

The economic index had gone up from 9 per cent to 10 per cent. Likewise the value of the rupee has gone up in the international market which shows economic strength, he said. The UPA government at the Centre had made significant progress in the last three years in different fields, he said.

The Centre had plans of giving telephone connections to 65,000 villages by 2009 and already 15,000 villages had been extended this facility. There were also plans to build 60 lakh houses for the shelterless under housing scheme and it has been decided to build 9.14 lakh houses in 2007-08, he said.

Rs 2.25 lakh crore scheme was being formulated to fulfill the drinking water needs. This money will be spent to provide drinking water in rural areas, in the cities, he informed. There was a aim to distribute 24 lakh hectares to the landless, he added.

The Centre also had plans to provide power connections to 1.25 lakh villages and also road connectivity.

Accordingly the funds will be released for the state governments. The funds will be released at the earliest to implement the schemes, said Mr Muniyappa. It was left to the state governments to utilise 80 per cent of the funds released by the Centre for development works and how it is utilised will be left to them, he said.

In order to address the unemployment problems that has arisen due to natural calamities and drought the Centre had announced a special package. Already this has been extended to 200 districts and it will be extended to another 130 districts, he said.

District Congress committee president N S Bisegowda, former president Ashwathanarayan Reddy, ZP president V Venkatmuniyappa, MLC Naseer Ahmed, ZP members Balaji, Chennaiah, Mangamma Muniswamy and others were present.