Chief minister Shibu Soren with Speaker C.P. Singh at Marwari Bhavan in Ranchi on Sunday. (Hardeep Singh)

Ranchi, Jan. 31: Chief minister Shibu Soren today called upon members of the Marwari community to help him formulate a policy on the state’s mineral wealth.

Soren was addressing the Marwari community on the last day of a two-day convention organised under the aegis of Jharkhand Prantiya Marwari Sammelan, a body of Marwaris in the state.

More than 200 representatives of the community from different parts of the state were present at the programme held at Marwari Bhavan.

“Your society is honourable. The society or state cannot run without your contribution. The government should take help from you. I would like to ask you to formulate a policy to exploit minerals so that the state’s wealth does not go outside the state. If this materialises, there will be more cities like Jamshedpur in the state,” Soren said.

He maintained that the mineral wealth of the state could provide sufficient job opportunities if exploited properly. “The world is driven by business and Marwari community members are skilled at this,” he said.

“The people of this community have started small and big industries everywhere in the world. Wherever they live, they establish their supremacy through work. They are able to speak the local language and win the heart of those they meet. This is a good quality,” Soren said.

Assembly Speaker C.P. Singh, also present at the programme, said: “The tradition of organising mass marria-ges in the Marwari community is a guideline for a society troubled by social evils like dowry.”

Akhil Bharatiya Marwari Sammelan’s national president Nandlal Rungta expressed hope of the state’s progress under the leadership of Soren.

“I hope the state will progress fearlessly under the able leadership of Guruji,” he said in Marwari language. He also demanded inclusion of Marwari language in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution.