The Hindu : A Board for rural areas

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Dec 29, 2002

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A Board for rural areas

By Our Staff Reporter

NEW DELHI DEC. 28. After prolonged delay and hectic consultations, the Delhi Government today announced constitution of the Delhi Rural Development Board with the Food and Supplies Minister, Haroon Yusuf, as Chairman. A notification to this effect would be issued on Monday, according to the Chief Minister, Sheila Dikshit.

Giving further information, Ms. Dikshit said all MLAs and Councillors of rural Delhi would be members of the Rural Development Board and it would function on the lines of the Trans-Yamuna Development Board. The Chief Minister said a provision of Rs. 72 crores had been made for the Board during the current financial year and assured that this amount would be fully utilised by March 2003. Raj Singh, a Congressman from Outer Delhi, has been named Vice-Chairman of the Board. He is the younger brother of the Congress Councillor, Bijender Kumar, who is also the Chairman of the Delhi State Cooperative Bank.

The Chief Minister said that adequate budgetary provision would be made during the next financial year for the Board to execute development project and schemes meant for rural Delhi, especially the farmers. The establishment of the Rural Development Board has fulfilled a long-standing demand of the representatives of rural Delhi. The establishment of the Board had been in the air for the past two years but internal party differences on who should head the Board and failure to arrive at a consensus on the issue delayed its constitution.

Ms. Dikshit said there was an urgent need to ensure integrated rural development across the Capital. The Government, she said, was committed to provide all civic amenities and facilities at par with the city dwellers and all the efforts would be directed towards improving the quality of life. The Chief Minister also hinted that the Bhagidari Scheme, involving citizen-Government partnership, would be extended to rural areas of the Capital which would revolutionise the manner in which development projects and regular works are undertaken and executed. Presently, the areas where Bhagidari can be extended are being identified and very soon a formal workshop would be organised in rural Delhi to seek the involvement of the masses to monitor the working of the Government functionaries and projects. She hoped that the Rural Development Board would be able to implement the schemes involving construction of physical, social, ecological and economic infrastructure in an effective manner.

Stating that he would work hard to fulfil the objectives behind the constitution of the Rural Development Board, Mr. Haroon Yusuf said that 30 per cent subsidy on fertilizers would be provided to the small and marginal farmers and a budgetary provision of Rs. 3 crores had already been made for the current financial year. Similarly, financial assistance would be provided to farmers for purchase of fodder for their cattle. The Board would strike to provide local markets for the farmers so that they are able to market their produce through this network directly to consumers without having to go through the obligation of taking the services of middlemen or administrative functionaries.

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