Kolkata, Nov. 4 -- Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on Wednesday sought to position the Panchayat department as the key driver of rural employment and infrastructure development, with a push to accelerate the VB-GRAMG 125-day work scheme to revitalise the rural economy.
Adhikari said 31 lakh job cards had been cancelled during the previous TMC government as their holders failed to complete KYC verification. Following fresh verification, 10 lakh new job card holders have been enlisted.
At a meeting with Panchayat minister Dilip Ghosh, senior officials, district magistrates and BDOs at the Panchayat department on Wednesday, Adhikari announced plans to set up a new Panchayat Bhavan in New Town.
He said the state was generating seven lakh mandays daily under the VB-GRAMG scheme, with 22 lakh people enrolled. The state aims to achieve 65.2 lakh mandays, he added.
Adhikari wanted to link VB-GRAMG with housing, agriculture, fisheries and other schemes to boost rural livelihoods, including crab cultivation in the Sundarbans and shrimp farming.
He also promised higher wages for unskilled workers and increased food allocations for ICDS, mid-day meals, hospitals and prisons, adding that the state would write to the Centre seeking a wage hike.
At a meeting at Nabanna last week, Adhikari expressed displeasure over the slow pace of VB-GRAMG work and directed officials to speed it up. He also urged migrant workers to return home and join the scheme with their families, saying they could earn up to Rs 34,000.
Adhikari said a survey of 54 lakh people had identified 47 lakh homeless people in need of housing.
"Within the next two financial years we plan to provide them with homes," Adhikari said. He added that the PM had allocated Rs 30000 crore for homeless people, but half of the money was looted by Trinamool leaders, and so these 47 lakh people are sans homes.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.