Rural job scheme

Calcutta, March 5: The state cabinet today decided to set up a programme for generating rural employment by targeting self-help groups.

“The state cabinet has given its approval to the rural employment development programme, which will be implemented by the state panchayat department. The modalities are being worked out,” said industries minister Partha Chatterjee at Writers’ Building after the cabinet meeting

The programme will be in line with the national rural livelihood mission. Government sources said the scheme would receive central assistance worth Rs 3,000 crore while the state would put in Rs 1,000 crore. The scheme will support self-help groups by providing training and creating markets for them, a panchayat department official said.

RS polls

Calcutta: Elections to five Rajya Sabha seats will take place on March 30, Assembly secretary J.L. Chakraborty said. The five MPs whose tenures will expire are Trinamul’s Mukul Roy, the CPM’s Saman Pathak, Moinal Hassan and Tapan Sen and the CPI’s R.C. Singh.

Trinamul now can get three candidates elected and the Left one. The remaining seat may go to either Trinamul or the Congress.

School boost

Calcutta: The Mamata Banerjee government has decided to upgrade 999 secondary schools to the higher secondary level. Five hundred schools will be upgraded in 2012-13 and the rest in 2013-14. According to government sources, the number of higher secondary seats in the state will increase by around 2 lakh.