A year after the Saranda Development Plan (SDP) was rolled out in Jharkhand, rural development minister Jairam Ramesh announced the commencement of a similar development plan in another region in the same state.

Called Saryu Development Programme covering 12 panchayats and four blocks in Latehar district of Jharkahnd, it would start in October this year.

The name of the programme is derived from Saryu, a village in Latehar district, 130 km from Ranchi. Like Saranda, the security forces drove out Maoists from this region after a relentless operation in the past six months.

"A presentation was today given by the state government and I gave the go-ahead for implementation of the Saryu Special Development Programme,” Ramesh said.

Saranda is a forest area located on the borders of three states of Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and Odisha. It was a Maoist den until last year when the security forces wrested control driving the guerrillas out of the entire region. Following the recapture of the region, the government launched a development offensive in the form of SDP that would build roads, and houses, create jobs and provide governance to people who had never known it.

“Saryu development plan covers an area five times the region of Saranda,” the minister said.