Mamata Banerjee announces financial packages for Jangalmahal

Kolkata, Jul 13: West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee announced a financial package for the maoist hit Jangalmahal after her visit to the area on Jul 12.

Some of the measures in the package announced by Mamata include promise of building a bridge over the Subarnarekha apart from the government's various proposals on jobs, welfare, education, health.

Mamata had promised the packages and assured to eradicate poverty before taking the office. After she became the Chief Minister, her first decision was to fulfill the promise of declaring a developmental package for the Maoist hit area.

Knowing it was important to bring peace to the area, Mamata promised the people of Jangalmahal that nobody would continue to be jobless in the region.

Despite of efforts by the security forces to wipe out maoists from the area, Jangalmahal remains one of the country's worst maoist hit area.

"Don't encourage unrest and don't take up firearms and guns. If you want to take up guns, do this for the government, for the people of your country and to protect Jangalmahal. Our government has decided to recruit 10,000 local youths of Jangalmahal in police forces within the coming three months. Application forms for such recruitment will be made available to you from local police stations. No one in Jangalmahal will remain jobless," Mamata said on Jul 12.

Mamata also said that those Maoists who wished to get back to their normal life and surrender would be given a special financial package by the West Bengal government.

Jangalmahal is one of the most backward areas of WB consisting of Purulia, Bankura and West Midnapore. The people of the area do not have access to either modern facilities nor pure drinking water, with poor infrastructure and widespread illiteracy.

"We are in the government for just a month and twenty days. Nothing major was done by the previous government for Jangalmahal in their 34-year regime. We will take a little time to offer you some development packages. Our government has decided to spent Rs 112 crore for providing drinking water in Jangalmahal. We will take 30 months to work this out," said Mamata.

OneIndia News