18 LAKH HOUSES UNDER INDIRA AWAAS YOJANA IN ASSAM

Guwahati, August 12, 2006

The Assam Panchayat & Rural Development Minister Shri Chandan Brahma today said the department will construct more than 18 lakh homes under the Indira Awaas Yojana till 2008 – 2009 in the State.

Speaking as the Chief Guest in the valedictory function of the five day Public Information Campaign on the six flagship schemes undertaken by the UPA Government under the Bharat Nirman programes, the minister said the state Panchayat department is working as the nodal agency and it has been entrusted to construct 22.41 lakh homes for the homeless and landless people in the state. He said so far 4.39 lakh houses have been built since 2001.

Shri Brahma said the list of the beneficiaries will be prepared by August 25 this year including waiting list. He said the districtwise break up of allocation were already sent and the selection will be done by the Panchayats.

Explaining the benefits of the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, passed by the Parliament last year, he said seven districts in the state – Kokrajhar, Bongaigaon, Goalpara, Lakhimpur, Dhemaji, Karbi Anglong and NC Hills have been included for the scheme in the first phase. Under the employment scheme a registered unemployed in the Panchayat would get 100 days work as per government wage recommendation. Implementation of the scheme has already started in the seven districts and he hoped that people to take the opportunity to involve themselves in creating valuable assets for the society while earning their wages.

Earlier speaking as the Guest of Honour, former Asom Sahitya Sabha President and eminent litterateur Dr. Lakshminandan Bora said the large gathering of people in the function indicated that people of the area have responded well to the programme. Shri Bora stressed on proper implementation of the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan and National Rural Health Mission saying that education and health were two important factors for development. He urged the people to become aware of the schemes being undertaken to reap maximum benefit from them and also stressed on creating a work culture in the state.

In his presidential address the editor of Asomiya Pratidin, Shri Haider Hussain while terming the publicity campaign as a realistic step to make people aware of the schemes said many schemes in the past were not properly implemented. Holding the Bharat Nirman slogan as a transformation of Mahatma Gandhi’s Gramin Swaraj dream, he stressed on creating moral values in the society, respect successful people in different fields and initiate a social reform in the state for the upliftment of the downtrodden and neglected. He also urged the people to take up self-employment specially in agriculture sector not only to generate income but also to set up examples for others.

Shri B. Narzary, Dy. Director General of Press Information Bureau gave the welcome address while the local MLA Shri Pranab Kalita also addressed the function as guest of honour.

The five day Public Information Campaign was organized by Press Information Bureau in association with other central media units like Directorate of Field Publicity, Directorate of Advertising and Visual Publicity and the Song and Drama Division at Harendra Nath Talukdar auditorium at Uparhali near Mirza from August 8 to 12,2006.

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