GUWAHATI, March 5 - To address the issue of multiple deprivation in the tea gardens and generate awareness, the State government is toying with the idea of replicating the Sivasagar model of UNICEF where adolescents are empowered as change agents in the community.
State�s Labour Commissioner Narayan Konwar today told The Assam Tribune that UNICEF has been asked to prepare a DPR for the project to be implemented in the State, with special focus in tea growing districts.
�Under the project, there will be several levels of monitoring and management units, from the State level up to the garden level. At the garden level we will rope in the unions, garden managements, clubs and the administration and this team will address the various gaps concerning implementation of government schemes and create awareness,� Konwar said.
�It will be a major intervention in a systematic way. After two years of implementation, we hope to get an institutionalized mechanism which will be here to stay,� he said.
Management experts will be appointed at the district level.
UNICEF�s Sivasagar project envisages that community led initiative can complement efforts of existing government machinery, leading to system strengthening and subsequently social change.
Besides reducing the gaps in implementation of government schemes, the mechanism would also address social issues like child labour, school drop-out, child marriage etc., through sensitisation for comprehensive development of the areas.
The management teams under the project will coordinate with the line departments for addressing the gaps at the government level.
Meanwhile, the government has decided to look after all children who lost their parent or parents in the hooch tragedy under the Juvenile Justice Act.
The Additional Chief Secretary has been asked to visit the affected areas and hold discussions with the family members.
�The ex gratia will be given to the orphaned children in fixed deposit accounts to be opened by the government. Steps will also be taken to encourage adoption through different adoption centres,� official sources said.
