Kolkata, Jan 25 (IANS) With a view to accelerate rural development in left-wing extremism affected districts of West Bengal, union Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh Wednesday said the government would appoint two new officials at the panchayat level.
“An efficient panchayat system is essential for effective implementation of rural development programmes. As such a panchayat officer and a junior engineer will be appointed soon for every panchayat in Maoist affected areas,” Ramesh told mediapersons here.
The creation of the two new posts will generate employment of around 1,000. While 75 percent of the cost will be borne by the central government, the remainder by the state government.
Only persons from the affected areas will be eligible for the new posts, Ramesh said.
The minister who was on a three day visit to take stock of rural development in the Maoist affected areas said leftwing terrorism was not as grave in West Bengal as in Chhattisgarh or Gujarat and said infrastructural development was the way forward to counter the menace.
Ramesh also announced a rs.4,000 crore drinking water project for the three districts of South 24 Parganas, Bankura and Purulia.
“The project jointly sponsored by the World Bank, the Japanese and the central governments has been approved by my ministry and has been sent to the (union) finance ministry which too will approve it soon,” Ramesh said.
He also said a special package for building 1.000 km of rural roads is also to be implemented soon.
