Siliguri, July 4: National Bank for Agricultural and Rural Development (Nabard) has decided to extend its village adoption plan to the closed tea estate of Kanthalguri.

The plan will allow the bank to introduce a number of welfare schemes in the estate located near Banarhat and closed since July, 2002, Jalpaiguri district officials of the bank said today. The announcement was made at a programme at the garden (See picture by Biplab Basak).

“The aim is to develop villages which do not have access to education, healthcare, drinking water, electricity, roads, credit, information and market,” said M. Jha, the district development manager of Nabard. The bank feels that Kanthalguri is in a similar state.

The district administration has already introduced a number of schemes in Kanthalguri and other closed tea estates of the region, including 100-days’ work, mid-day meal, health services, Antodaya Annapurna Yojna and general relief. Nabard has appointed Sristee, a Jalpaiguri-based NGO, to coordinate with the government and other agencies, like banks and panchayats, to sketch the development scheme, said Jha.

The schemes for Kanthalguri will include:

Rural innovation fund for farm and non-farm activities

Watershed development fund

Tribal development fund

Rural infrastructure development fund for building roads, etc.

The Jalpaiguri district administration has lauded Nabard’s decision. “The residents of the closed garden will surely benefit from it,” said district magistrate R. Ranjit. Nabard officials clarified that the aim is “to help residents, not revive the closed garden”. The bank will also adopt five villages in Cooch Behar and one in Darjeeling, Nabard officials said.

Jalpaiguri zilla sabhadhipati Banamali Roy along with administrative officials and more than 300 residents of the garden were present at today’s programme.