FTII row: Rahul Gandhi meets President Pranab Mukherjee

Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi led a delegation to meet President Pranab Mukherjee over the protest by the FTII students on appointment of Gajendra Chauhan as its chairman. Many film personalities too had asked the central government to withdraw its decision to appoint Chauhan as FTII Chairman.

Sonia Gandhi addresses the function to commemorate polio-free India

Sonia Gandhi: We are polio-free now, let us work together to eradicate other diseases too

Congress President and UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi addressed a function to commemorate the landmark achievement of Polio Free India at a special function at New Delhi’s Talkatora Indoor Stadium on Tuesday. President Pranab Mukherjee, Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh, Union Minister of Health & Family Welfare Ghulam Nabi Azad and World Health Organisation (WHO) Director General Margaret Chan were also among those present on the occasion. The celebration has been organized by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare to commemorate this accomplishment as well as to thank all those who contributed to it.
Expressing her happiness for achieving this mile stone, Sonia Gandhi said, “There is nothing that makes me more happy here today as we celebrate the three years of freedom from polio in our country. The India Polio Eradication Programme is something we can all be proud of. 20 years ago more than 50000 people, mostly from poor families, were affected by it. That means more than 50000 women and families face the financial and social burden of bringing up polio-stricken children. Today no woman, no families, has to bear this painful burden” and added, “The programme was an extra ordinary success. In scope and reach, it has been unmatched by any health based programme in the world. It has reached every child across the length and breadth of our land and finally rid our country of this ancient and creeping curse”.
“Today we acknowledge that this historic milestone has been achieved with single mindedness of purpose and extra ordinary team work and a strong political will. This massive immunization programme required a high degree of coordination. I congratulate Sh. Ghulam Nabi Azad and his team of officers from the ministry of health and family welfare, field officials, health workers, ASHAs and volunteers who made this achievement possible” further said the Congress President
“Let us go from here today, while we celebrate; let us go from here today committed to bring the same determination to bear in the eradication of other diseases which are still a burden on our people, especially on our children” said Sonia Gandhi. “I once again congratulate all those who have participated in this exemplary and successful programme; I salute them all; I salute you all”, said the Congress President while concluding her address.
India has completed three years without polio, a landmark achievement which would pave the way for a polio-free certification from the World Health Organisation (WHO). The Health ministry said 40,000 reporting units, including health facilities, annually report 60,000 cases of paralysis to the polio surveillance network - National Polio Surveillance Project.
India reported more than half of the global polio cases until 2009. The country introduced the oral polio vaccine in 1985 in the universal immunisation programme in the backdrop of over 200,000 cases of polio annually. India has not reported any new case of polio since a two-year-old girl got polio paralysis Jan 13, 2011 in Howrah district of West Bengal. India's victory over polio paves the way for a polio-free certification of the South East Asia region of WHO in March end.
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Sonia Gandhi pays tribute to Indira Gandhi

Nation remembers former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi on her 29th death anniversary. Congress President and UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi paid tributes to the departed leader at Shakti Sthal.

Sonia Gandhi extends warm greetings on Eid-al-Fitr

Congress President and UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi on Friday greeted the nation on the occasion of Eid-al-Fitr by saying that the festival reminds people of virtues of harmonious co-existence and mutual respect for each other's faith.

Conveying her greetings and good wishes, Sonia Gandhi said Eid follows a month of fasting in which the essentials of faith are rejuvenated touching Islam's message of peace and fraternity amongst all mankind.

“‘Eid’ follows a month of fasting in which the essentials of faith are rejuvenated touching Islam’s message of peace and fraternity amongst all mankind. The festival reminds us of the virtues of harmonious co-existence and mutual respect for each other’s faith in a multi religious and diversified society like ours” says her message.

President Pranab Mukherjee and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh also greeted the nation on the occasion and hoped the festival will instill a sense of unity among all faiths and pride in the composite culture of country.

Congress vice President Rahul Gandhi meets President

Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi on Monday had a luncheon meeting with President Pranab Mukherjee. Mukherjee, who will be completing his first year in the Rashtrapati Bhavan on July 25, has been holding interaction with the top brass of various political parties ever since he assumed the country's top office last year. Rahul Gandhi's lunch with the President on Monday happened days after the Congress Vice President attended a meeting of the party's Core Group, considered to be an interface between the party and the government, for the first time.

 Soon after becoming President, Mukherjee had invited Congress President Sonia Gandhi and her entire family including Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and Robert Vadra for dinner in July last year.  Besides, the President has been regularly interacting over lunch and dinner with top political leaders of all other parties as well.  Rahul Gandhi shared warm relations with Mukherjee and had gone to greet him at his residence immediately after his becoming President.
 Rahul Gandhi heads a special group set up by the party for the 2014 Lok Sabha elections.