Jamshedpur, Jan. 21 : Every village of Jharkhand will have its own secretariat from now onwards and the local youths will have the power to use the development funds.
This was announced by chief minister Raghubar Das today during Tusu Mela, organised at Gopal Maidan in Bistupur, Jamshedpur.
Addressing a huge gathering of over 25,000 people, the chief minister said that educated village youths would be appointed as members of the rural secretariats and they would be given power to plan the policies and use the development funds depending on the requirements.
"From this year we will not impose development policies on villagers, rather these will be framed by them based on their needs. The village-level secretariat will plan and ensure implementation of development schemes," said Das.
He also said that Rs 6,000 crore would be spent on the development schemes in rural areas in 2016-17 fiscal year. "Each village will get between Rs 80 lakh and Rs 1 crore only for development. The Union government has assured that funds will not be a problem," he said.
The chief minister added that henceforth drought survey would be held at panchayat-level rather than at block-level.
About the mahotsav, he said that such events helped in fostering unity and brotherhood among people. "Culture and tradition join people while politics divide," he commented.
The chief minister who arrived at the venue at 5.15pm straight from Sonari Aerodrome was accorded a warm welcome by the organisers. He also tried his hands at tribal musical instruments and tasted the traditional delicacies like peetha and tilkut on a leaf plate.
The fair was organised by various Kurmi outfits. Tribals from various parts of Kolhan region had gathered with their chaurals (towering bamboo floats considered a symbol of contentment) and Tusu (goddess of harvest) idols. Best idol and chaural contests were also organised.
Jamshedpur MP Bidyut Baran Mahto, BJP MLA from Ichagarh Sadhu Charan Mahto, Ghatshila MLA Laxman Tudu and Kurmi community leaders like former MP Shailendra Mahto also attended the fair.
