Rural Development Schemes of Latehar District, Jharkhand

District Developmental Projects (Page 1, Page 2, Page 3 & Page 4 )

DEVELOPMENT SCHEMES.

(A) Centrally Sponsored Schemes: -

NATIONAL RURAL EMPLOYMENT GUARANTEE SCHEME
RASHTRIYA SAM VIKAS YOJANA (NOW BAKWARD REGIONS’ DEVELOPMENT INITIATIVE)
INDIRA AWAS YOJANA
SWARNA JAYANTI GRAM SWAROJGAR YOJANA
PRADHAN MANTRI GRAM SADAK YOJANA
WATERSHED PROGRAMMES (HARIYALI)

(B) Centrally Assisted Schemes:-

     Latehar district being a predominantly tribal district comes under the Scheduled Area. Therefore, the Govt. of India provides special assistance under article 275 (I) of the Constitution of India and various other heads. Project Office known as Micro Economic Socio Organisation (MESO) was created to implement schemes under Integrated Tribal Development Programme in Tribal Sub-Plan.

(C) State Sponsored Schemes:-

     Under State Sponsored Scheme apart from health, education irrigation schemes, other schemes under state govt. in this district viz. C.M.G.S.Y. (Chief Minister Gram Setu Yojana) and M.L.A. /M.L.C. Schemes are being implemented. The basic objective of C.M.G.S.Y. is to provide connectivity of villages to panchayats and panchayats to block headquarters by constructing bridges. Birsa Munda Awas Yojana for PTGs and Deen Dayal Awas Yojana in the pattern of IAY are being implemented. Mukhyamantri Kanyadan Yojana is another ambitious scheme benefiting the village folk.

DEVELOPMENT INITIATIVES BY DISTRICT ADMINISTRATION

     It’s a well known fact that we do not have local self government at the grass root level for almost three decades. To fill the gap, the administration has started allotting the execution works to S.H.G.s in general and women S.H.G.s in particular with the consent of Gram Sabhas. Under the Rashtriya Sam Vikas Yojana, more than 250 Anganwadi Centre buildings and more than 150 Primary School buildings are being built by the women S.H.G.s. Similarly under NREGS and SCA schemes, Women SHGs, Water Users’ Societies and NGOs have been given the execution work.

     Similarly, authority has been devolved to local traditional village head. In the absence of local self govt., steps have been taken to empower the traditional tribal village chieftains. Thus the local Gram Sabhas headed by Manaki Mundas, Manjhis, Mahto etc. have been strengthened through fresh Gazette notification in the District Gazette. These traditional chieftains have been given financial teeth by empowering them to settle their local sands deposits. They have been given important roles in the selection, implementation and monitoring of local development schemes.

     It is to be noted that these individuals, institutions or organizations, whether they are Gram Pradhans or Gram Sabhas or S.H.G.s or N.G.O.s, they have joined the participation process of development in the mainstream system, they will neither be attracted nor will they permit their wards to disso late from the mainstream. Further, whenever the elections for PRIs will take place, these persons and institutions will be the major stakeholders. In other way it can be said that capacity building process is going on before the PRIs election, which would certainly strengthen the democratic process at the grass root level.

     The District Administration has also initiated a unique programme of quality fish breeding. Thus, all such families of SC and ST, who are living below poverty line, have been invited to construct fish ponds on their personal land with govt. help. Such fish hatcheries would not alienate the land rights of the landlords and would give unhindered rights of fish production. The beneficiaries of this scheme are being provided specialized training by the experts of National Fisheries Research Institute, Barrackpore (W.B). This scheme has gone a long way in the socio- economic upliftment of the rural poor whose recurring income has increased and buying power strengthened.

Education

     There are 19 High Schools, 1224 Middle and Primary Schools, one Model High School at Netarhat (Mahuadanr Block), One Govt. Polytechnic and one Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya, 05 Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalayas and 10 Residential schools for S.C/S.T. students in Latehar district. Latehar became the first district in Jharkhand where cooked mid-day meal scheme was initiated in 200 selected primary schools comprising 20,782 enrolled students in December 2003. Now all 1224 primary schools, including all EGS centres and all minority schools, comprising 1, 37,000 students in January 2006 have been covered under this scheme and going on successfully. With this the one fourth of total population of district has been brought under the umbrella of mid day meal scheme. Each of these Schools has been provided with Kitchen Sheds for cooking and storage purpose and the same has been constructed by utilizing development funds. Mother Committee “Sarswati Vahini”, comprising all the mothers of students of the school and where one of the mothers of the children becomes convener of the committee and supervises the successful implementation of the scheme at the school.

     It is also to be noted that Latehar district is a part of Palamau Division, which is very infamous for so-called starvation deaths and acute malnutrition standard and it had been the poignant issue for extremists to make people hostile towards government and administration.

     After introduction of mid day meal schemes even at the remotest part of the district, nutrition standard of the children has improved to a great extent.

     It’s also to be noted that absenteeism of the schoolteachers was very high in the district, but after the implementation of the scheme it has come down to less than 10%.

     MDM became the boon for administration, because the district launched the programme in a campaign mode and all the field officers and employees, irrespective of their official assignments, played instrumental role in introduction, implementation and monitoring of the scheme. During this process, they could sneak through to those so-called forbidden areas, where they could have never thought to visit for monitoring of their departmental programmes.

     Now not a single village is untouched by the administration and not a single right meaning government employee has been obstructed by the extremists in performance of his or her duties.

I.C.D.S. Programme

Under I.C.D.S. Programme, total no of 649 Anganawari Centers are functioning in this district out of which none of the Anganwari Centres is building less. Recently 207 more Anganwari Centres have been sanctioned, for which construction of building and selection of AWCs will take place very soon. Cooked meal is being provided in two projects of the district and the result has been very encouraging. All projects will be covered very soon under the cooked meal scheme.

Health

In Latehar district, 101 P.H.C.s, 7 Primary Health Centres and One Sub-divisional Hospital are functioning and none of the health centres is building less.