Saranda Development Plan will be a role model for the entire country: Jairam

Jairam Ramesh on what the Saranda Development Plan is and why it is important for the country

GN Bureau | July 9, 2012


Ramesh in Saranda earlier this month
Ramesh in Saranda earlier this month

Saranda will be a role model for the entire country. Success in Saranda is important for the country…if successful the model will be replicated across other areas hit by the Naxal menace.

It is the first systematic experiment in combining a security-oriented and development-focussed approach in Maoist-affected areas on a large-scale. In July-August 2011, the CRPF and the state police jointly “liberated” this area of West Singbhum district of Jharkhand from 11 years of Maoist control and domination. One of the very first things I did after becoming union rural development minister in July 2012 was to initiate discussions with the state government on how best to consolidate on the success achieved by the CPRF and launch development activities in this most backward area. (The Hindu, June 6, 2012) (hyperlink: http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/article3494009.ece)

Originally I had been saying that the solution is two-pronged: development and security. Then I realised it is three-pronged: development, security and political mobilisation. Then I came to the conclusion that it is actually four-pronged: development, security, political activity and also some sense of justice and dignity, because there is an accumulated sense of injustice. Land has been taken, rights not given — you have to address that. (Jairam to Governance Now)

Development in the villages would be visible in the next two to three years under the Saranda Action Plan. All the 7,000 families will be given cycles, solar lantern and radios apart from homes under the Indira Aawas Yojana (apart from laying 140 km of roads).

We will develop all 56 villages in the Saranda forest as model villages. We will replicate it in other areas like Jangalmahal in West Singhbhum and Abujhmad in Maharashtra. The Union government will spend Rs 277 crore for development work in Saranda, which includes construction of roads measuring 140 kilometres.

Comments

 

Other News

Gandhian movement after Gandhi failed: Ram Guha

The Gandhian movement in India, after Gandhi’s death, failed, says Ramachandra Guha, and blames Vinoba Bhave for it. But the movement found new, fertile grounds around the world and succeeded in bringing about a change in South Africa, the US and elsewhere. It is high time it returned home. Of cour

When religion, politics and Bollywood come together

Tavleen Singh, noted journalist and political commentator, has turned to fiction, with her debut novel ‘The Actor’ (HaperCollins India). Set in the near future, it has a superstar, Amit Singh, turning to politics, when the political landscape is dominated by prime minister Guru Gaynendraj

Cabinet approves setting up of Integrated Transport & Logistics Authority

The union cabinet, chaired by prime minister Narendra Modi, on Tuesday approved the setting up of a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV), called Integrated Transport & Logistics Authority (ITLA), to strengthen research, planning, appraisal, monitoring and impact assessment within the broad domains of Transp

Why foundational literacy and numeracy is key to school education

Foundational Literacy and Numeracy (FLN) are often described as the building blocks of education. Yet, their significance goes well beyond a child’s ability to read a sentence, write a response or solve a basic mathematical problem. These foundational skills shape how children understand the world,

When police data becomes the algorithm

For decades, policing has followed a familiar sequence: a crime occurs, the police respond, an investigation produces records and those records become part of the institutional memory of the criminal justice system. Artificial intelligence is beginning to alter that sequence. Instead of merely recording

Before India voted, the framers worried about the referee

“We are making a Constitution forever and not only for today.” Shibban Lal Saksena said this in the Constituent Assembly on June 15, 1949. He was warning that a ruling party might one day choose a loyalist to run India’s elections. Seventy-seven years later, the Supreme Court is wrestli

Upcoming Conferences



-->

Archives

Current Issue

Opinion

Facebook Twitter Google Plus Linkedin Subscribe Newsletter

Twitter