Haryana govt to setup Gram Van Samities

Chandigarh, July 15 (UNI) The Haryana Government has decided to constitute Gram Van Samities in all the villages of the state for the empowerment of people.

The development of women would also be ensured through these samities,Minister of State for Forests, Mrs Kiran Choudhry said today while addressing a gathering on the occasion of the 58th State Level Van Mahotsav organised by the Forest Department at Mahendergarh.

The Minister said that under the Integrated Natural Resource Management and Poverty Alleviation Project,as many as 600 villages have been identified for the implementation of the project.

Mrs Choudhry said that Women Self-Help Groups had been formed for the empowerment of women. Massive training programmes had been organised by Forest Department to impart training to the members of these Self-Help Groups so that they could earn their livelihood and become self reliant.

She said that each village had been provided an amount of Rs one lakh under the village Gram Pravesh Gatividhi to solve their problems at their own level. Besides each self-help group had been given a sum of Rs 2000 as an incentive and a sum of Rs two lakh as revolving fund to each village.

She said that the Gram Van Samiti self-help groups would utilise this amount of revolving fund to increase their income and to buy raw material and machines. The government would also provide full assistance to these self help groups for the marketing of their products which would be sold under the Lal Muniya Brand of the Forest Department.

The Minister said that herbal gardens would be developed in each district for propagating the use of medicinal plants. She said that ponds in 15 villages had been renovated for the conservation of water in view of the depleting ground water.

She also inaugurated the exhibition put up by self-help groups and the Forest Department.

UNI