MALDA/RAIGANJ, 26 JULY: The finance minister, Mr Asim Dasgupta, today allotted Rs 10 crore for the development of irrigation systems to cultivate aman paddy in the Malda district, which is suffering badly due to the current scarcity of rain.
“If the district receives adequate rain shortly, the allotted funds are to be diverted to another developmental project”, Mr Dasgupta told the Press, in a meeting at Old Circuit House with a group of Cabinet ministers. The political leaders and officials of the agriculture department highlighted the plight of farmers at present due to the scarcity of rain and lack of irrigation.
The finance minister has asked for defunct irrigation systems to be repaired and the re-sinking of shallow and deep tube wells if necessary, to provide waters for the transplantation of aman seedlings. Transplantation is yet to begin in 75 percent of the land marked for aman cultivation in this district.
The finance minister, along with Mr Kshiti Gowami, Mr Subhas Naskar, Mr Abdur Sattar, Mr Pratim Chatterjee, and Mr Sailen Sarkar, reviewed the positions of rural electrification, backward class development and caste certificate issuing, and also discussed the NREGS, the revision of lists of people below the poverty line, the procurement of paddy from farmers, roads, and the erosion and flood protection works across the district.
With the financial assistance of Rajiv Gandhi Gramin Vidyut Yojana, the state aims to provide electricity to the left-out villages by 2010, the finance minister said. Mr Dasgupta has asked the concerned officials to clear the huge number of pending applications for caste certificates as soon as possible.
“We will hold a meeting with the backward class welfare development minister, Mr Yogesh Barman, the minister of state for minority and madrassa education, Mr Abdur Sattar, and other officials, to sort out the problem soon”, said Mr Dasgupta in this connection.
The finance minister also asked for the revision of the BPL list by September 2009. The RSP leaders have demanded the enrollment of BPL families. Mr Dasgupta also assured that he would look into the demands for compensation for crop, mango and houses damaged by Aila in the district.
The finance minister, who earlier visited Raiganj, has instructed the engineers of the North Dinajpur district irrigation department to work on a “war footing” in order to save crops like aman paddy and jute from drought like conditions.
He instructed the engineers to ensure the service of all government pump sets at least 22 hours a day. The engineers were also told to activate the service of all broken down pump sets shortly, for which the necessary funds will be given by the state government.
On the evening of 24 July Dr Asim Dasgupta, in order to review the overall development work of the district, held a meeting at Karnajora, attended by civil defence minister, Dr Sreekumar Mukharjee, the state minister for health, Mr Anowarul Hoque, the higher officials of the North Dinajpur district administrations, and the engineers of different wings of irrigation, power, PWD and chairmen of four municipalities and BDOs of different blocks.
Dr Dasgupta said that North Dinajpur district had only received around 40 percent of its ideal rainfall. Under these circumstances the transplantation of aman paddy was possible in only 30 percent in North Dinajpur. Jute retting is also being affected, and the district will have to wait until 15 August for additional rain. If farmers are not able to transplant at least 70 percent aman paddy by 15 August the cultivation of alternative crops will be considered. ;SNS
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