Gujarat govt to provide city-like facilities in villages

Addressing to a press conference at Gandhinagar, Panchayat Minister Narottambhai Patel said that State Government is determined to furnish villages with the infrastructural facilities similar to cities.

About 82 villages under taluka headquarters, 55 tribal villages with more than seven thousand of population and 118 villages with the more than ten thousand of population, totaling 225 villages are selected under this scheme. Primarily, 82 taluka headquarters will be provided underground drainage facility. Five thousand villages will be given solid waste disposal system to make them ‘Nirmal Gam’. Till now 1,670 villages are declared as Niraml Gam, he informed.

He added that the State Government is also focusing on women empowerment. Fund with Sakhi Mandals is increased to Rs.350.45-cr in March 2010 from Rs.81.69-cr in March 2009, out of which Rs.118.38-cr is of their own savings. Under Mission Mangalam Scheme, 22,090 BPL families are covered till Jun 2010 and remaining 77,910 families will be covered by Dec 2010. One member from all such families will be given income oriented training expecting to bring out about one lakh families from poverty.

He said that State Government has planned to provide quake-proof homes to about 4.31-lakh homeless BPL families falling between 0 to 16 multiples and having a plot, by Dec 2010. Till Jun 2010, 1,44,278 beneficiaries are given homes and remaining will be provided by Dec 2010. As many as 58,708 homeless BPL families falling between 0 10 20 multiples and not having plots, will be given 100-sq.mt plots.