PTI

Sivganga, Oct 16: The Centre was firm on implementation of the Setusamudram Ship Channel project but wanted to avoid any controversy, Union Finance Minister P Chidambaram has said.

The UPA Government's aim was to implement the project without giving room for any controversy, he told reporters at Singampunary, about 60 km from Sivaganga, on Monday night.

On the Left parties' opposition to the Indo-US nuclear deal, he said the issue was likely to be resolved at the October 22 meeting of the UPA-Left committee on the deal.

Replying to a question on the recent Supreme Court's remarks against the Tamil Nadu Government over the bandh issue, he said they were only oral observations and not part of any order.

On the Rural Employment Guarantee scheme, he said in the first phase, 200 districts, including Sivaganga, across the country had been covered and it had been extended to another 130 districts in the next phase.

In Orissa, there were some complaints about implementation of the scheme, but these would be redressed.

Earlier, addressing party workers, he said the focus was on enrolling more youths into the party.