After a gap of two years, the District Planning Committee meeting was organised here on Thursday. Steel and Mines Minister Rajanikanta Singh, who is District Planning Committee chairperson, presided over it.
District Collector Niranjan Nayak, Project Director Sadananda Nayak, MlA Patkura, Bed Prakash Agrawalla, senior officials of various departments, Zilla Parisad (ZP) president Sridhar Swain, and the ZP members were present. Minister Singh informed that the main objective of the integrated and participatory bottom up district plan is to promote broad based inclusive growth and reduce poverty in rural, tribal and urban areas.
The district plan has been prepared focusing on the development of human resources to achieve desired human development indicators, enhance present strategies for more effective social security, livelihood, employment generation and economic development programmes to women and mariginalised communities along with establishing more infrastructural facilities by giving focus on the productive sectors such as agriculture and allied sectors, small scale and village industries, he said.
The ZP members showed their anger against the apathy of the district administration to the development of the agriculture in the district. They alleged that only 35 per cent of the agricultural land got irrigated facilities and demanded that the administration should take immediate step to make functional all the lift Irrigation (lI) points that are lying defunct.
They said that the farmers had failed to get proper marketing facilities in selling their produces and demanded that for the betterment of the farming community, the district administration should provide marketing facility through Regulated Marketing Committee. The members also talked about the problems of natural calamities like flood and cyclone affecting agriculture and cold storage facility in the district.
Singh informed that a proposed outlay of Rs 794.29 crore has been fixed for the Annual Comprehensive District Plan for 2013-14. He informed that sectors like animal husbandry, horticulture, soil and water conservation, animal resources and dairy development, fisheries and agriculture cooperation to get Rs 25.97 crores out of the fund.
Besides, an estimated Rs 116.89 crore would be spent under rural development, including MGNREGS, NRlM, IAY, Mo-Kudia, GGY and 13th FCA for the 2013-14. Whereas an outlay has been prepared to spend Rs 75.6 crores for energy, Rs 22.6 crore for industry and minerals, Rs 85.85 crore for transport,Rs 94.5 crore for the development of science, technology and environment in the district would be spent. An estimated Rs 352.83 crore has been earmarked for the social sector.
The District Planning Committee Chairman also directed the district administration to prepare an outlay for 2014-15 and submit it in the next meeting scheduled to be held in May.