New Delhi, Oct 13: Universalisation of primary education, provision of drinking water to villages, health care and development of infrastructure would be the top priorities of the new government sworn in on Wednesday.Poverty alleviation programmes have to be taken up in right earnest, Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee told newspersons soon after the swearing-in ceremony was over.Implementation of these schemes was more important than mere allotment of funds, he said adding that some states did not utilise the funds earmarked for these welfare projects.
Later, the Union Council of Ministers held its first meeting and decided that the first sitting of the 13th Lok Sabha would be held on October 20. The session is expected to last till October 29 during which members would take oath, elect Speaker and transanct other urgent business.
The Rajya Sabha will meet from October 21 to 29 and on October 25, the two houses would have a joint sitting. The Speaker's election will be held on October 22.
It was also decided that President K R Narayanan be requested to address the joint session of two houses of Parliament to apprise the members of the policy and programmes to be implemented by the government.
The cabinet committee on security also met for one and a half hours in the evening to take stock of the developments in Pakistan. The meeting was chaired by the Prime Minister.
"India is concerned about what is happening in Pakistan but there is no cause for alarm or anxiety," Union Minister Jaswant Singh said after the meeting.
Copyright © 1999 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.