Manmohan Singh greets Bengal chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee in New Delhi on Saturday. Picture by Rajesh Kumar.

New Delhi, Sept. 18: Manmohan Singh today wooed the Left and the National Advisory Council, headed by Sonia Gandhi, with announcements on subjects that are close to the hearts of both.

Between speaking at a conference on Envisioning Justice in the 21st Century and meeting Sonia and Left leaders over lunch, the Prime Minister launched the council?s website at his residence and used the occasion to clear the air on welfare initiatives.

In deference to the Left and the council which oversees implementation of the common minimum programme, he said the education cess levied in this year?s budget would finance a non-lapsable fund for elementary education and midday meals. The fund will be called Prathamik Shiksha Kosh.

The common minimum programme of the Congress-led alliance is committed to raising public spending in education to at least 6 per cent of the GDP, with at least a half of this earmarked for the primary and secondary sectors. It has also promised a ?national cooked nutritious midday meal scheme? in schools.

At recent meetings with Singh, the CPM and the CPI had asked him how the government would utilise the cess. The Centre has already announced an ?unprecedented increase in allocations for elementary education? of Rs 3,106 crore above the last financial year, the Prime Minister said today.

Singh also promised that a bill to enact the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act and another to amend the Right to Information Act would be introduced in Parliament?s winter session.

The council has prepared a draft of the proposed legislation and amendments. The draft of the Employment Guarantee Act has been referred to the Planning Commission and the council has also invited a national debate on the bill.

The Prime Minister described the council, which is made up of experts from different fields, as an ?effective instrument providing a link between the government and the thinking elements in our society?. He expressed gratitude to Sonia and the members for the ?wealth of ideas generated in such a short period of time?.

Planning in the past suffered because of a ?top to bottom? approach, Singh said. He recalled that Rajiv Gandhi had wanted a better link between the top and the bottom and, therefore, empowered the panchayati raj apparatus.

This was Singh?s first big involvement with the council. Barring a formal introductory meeting with its members, he has had little to do with the council which regularly meets at Sonia?s residence.