The Central government’s decision to reduce the budgetary allocation for the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) in Rae Bareli was assailed at the meeting of the District Monitoring and Vigilance Committee on Thursday.

The meeting held at Bachat Bhawan in Rae Bareli was presided over by the local MP and Congress president, Sonia Gandhi, who was on a day-long visit to her constituency on Thursday. The progress of the development schemes was reviewed by Ms. Gandhi. She was accompanied by her daughter Priyanka Vadra, who had arrived in Rae Bareli on Wednesday. The Uttar Pradesh Cabinet Minister, Manoj Pandey, who is the MLA from Unchahar, the Rae Bareli District Magistrate, officials and other MLAs from Rae Bareli district were present.

At the meeting, Ms. Gandhi was apprised by the district officials of the Centre’s move to cut the budget for Centrally-sponsored road schemes and PMGSY in Rae Bareli. While Ms. Gandhi left the meeting for other engagements, Mr. Pandey told journalists that a resolution condemning the Centre’s move to reduce the budget of roads under the Centrally-sponsored schemes, including PMGSY, was adopted at the meeting. Upon her arrival at the Fursatganj airport, Ms. Gandhi went straight to Bhuyemau guest house where she distributed cheques of Rs. 2 lakh each to the kin of the victims of Dehradun-Varanasi Janata Express train mishap near Bachhrawan railway station on March 20. Farmers whose crops were destroyed by untimely rains and hailstorm also met Ms. Gandhi.