GUWAHATI, Sept 20 - The Central Government is very much concerned about overall development of the rural areas of the northeastern states, said Union Minister of Panchayati Raj and Rural Development, Drinking Water and Sanitation Narendra Singh Tomar while interacting with the Parliamentarians of the Northeast here today.
According to an official press release, the Union Minister stated that the Central Government will consider on emphasising the state-specific problems of the region as a special case while formulating action plans.
Highlighting on the priorities of rural development, Tomar stressed on the united efforts of the Centre and states, and informed about the vision of implementing rural road connectivity to all eligible habitations by 2019, construction of one crore houses under the Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana (Rural) by 2019, reaching out to four crore women through 40 lakh women SHGs by 2019, skill development of seven to 10 lakh rural youths per year, doubling income of the farmers, use of MGNREGA for livelihood expansion and development, construction of five lakh farm ponds and 10 lakh vermicompost units and special attention to drought-affected areas, etc.
Addressing the session, Union Minister of State for Rural Development Ram Kripal Yadav dwelt on the key issues of rural development, its monitoring system and good governance framework.
Speaking on the occasion, Union Minister of State for Railways Rajen Gohain stressed on taking necessary steps for maintenance of rural infrastructure, including road and rural electrification.
Participating in the interactive session, Guwahati MP Bijoya Chakravarty, Mangaldai MP Ramen Deka, Kaliabor MP Gaurav Gogoi, Jorhat MP Kamakhya Prasad Tasa, Silchar MP Susmita Dev, Kokrajhar MP Naba Kumar Sarania, Outer Manipur MP Thangso Baite and Mizoram MP CL Ruala in their speech drew special attention to the area-specific constraints in implementing the rural development schemes.
The conference was also attended by Union Minister of State for Drinking Water and Sanitation Ramesh C Jigajinagi and senior officials of the ministries of Panchayati Raj and Rural Development, Government of India.