NREGA to give a face-lift to Dhemaji
Guwahati, Feb 18: As many as 92,000 people have been given employment avenues
under the schemes of National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA) in Dhemaji
district. People are directly engaged under different schemes in creating their
assets like rural road connectivity, water conservation, land development and
plantation, channel cutting and erosion protection works, etc. and in turn they
are getting enough money to enjoy their life in a more comfortable ways.
This was stated by Jitendra Nath Pegu, Project Director, DRDA, Dhemaji, while
addressing the inaugural session of Bharat Nirman Campaign on flagship
programmes of Central Government at the DRDA Ground, Dhemaji, on Wednesday, a
PIB press release stated.
He said, To revamp rural economy and empower the poor people, the DRDA,
Dhemaji has undertaken a large number of schemes. The basic objective is not
only to empower the rural people of the district, but also to make available
the economic plan of development to make themselves sustainable within
available resources. The DRDA is using the self-help groups as means by making
themselves sustainable.
The DRDA authorities have made it a point to ensure that DRDA money flows to
the genuine beneficiaries instead of going through middlemen. This has also
started yielding positive result as hundreds of people may be seen working
together and getting their wages against their works. The attempt is to promote
a new work culture among the people of Dhemaji district where middlemen and
contractor system has almost been eliminated from DRDA and poor people are
getting their dues from the local Panchayat administration.
Under the NREGA plan, out of the estimated amount of Rs 6746.90 lakh to revamp
rural economy of the district, an amount of Rs 4,509.34 lakh has already been
released to 65 gaon panchayats (GPs) against 924 schemes.
As the district stands in a geologically fragile region and its changing
rivers and streams causing extensive damage to the cultivable and human habitat
areas perennially, 49 schemes/projects covering 299.37 km are going on under
channel cutting and erosion and protection works.
Construction and development of rural roads is an essential schemes/projects to
provide rural road connectivity in this backward district. As many as 571
schemes/projects under rural road connectivity are going on to cover 1028.17 km.
Considering the large area of wetland of the district. The DRDA, Dhemaji has
also set a target of converting the district into the largest fish producing
district of Asom.
We have identified more than 6,000 bighas of wet/potential land and decided to
convert all of these land into fisheries. At present, works on 59 schemes are
going on covering 6.43 lakh sq. metre area for converting into fisheries.
Self-help groups are coming forwards to develop these fisheries. Besides
fisheries, it is also promoting group activities like piggery, duckery, etc.,
in the district, Pegu stated.
Speaking on the occasion, Diwakar Nath Mishra, Deputy Commissioner, Dhemaji,
stated that Dhemaji is producing the finest quality of muga silk cocoons, which
go to Suwalkuchi. Now, DRDA, Dhemaji aims to create second Suwalkuchi in
Dhemaji by finetuning muga silk and Mising traditional design. For the purpose,
3,000 bighas of land will be taken up for sum cultivation through self-help
groups.
He also assured that the traditional handloom and silk sector of Dhemaji would
soon get a boost after sending a group of weavers to Kokrajhar for professional
training.
The DRDA is also planning to make Dhemaji district as a leading bio-diesel
producer district in this region of the country through Jatropha cultivation in
its vast barren land by engaging self-help groups.
Now, land development and plantation works are going on in 81 schemes covering
23.98 hectare of land. More area would be covered under this scheme shortly,
Pegu added.
"The Sentinel " 19.02.2007
---------------------------------
Heres a new way to find what you're looking for - Yahoo! Answers _______________________________________________
assam mailing list
assam@assamnet.org
http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
