Ranchi: Jharkhand Chief Minister Raghubar Das said in a short time of just four and a half the number of Sakhi Mandals in the state has increased by five times to 2.03 which was just 43,000 before 2014.
Addressing a programme organised on the occasion of 10 years of JSLPS he said that by September in the remaining 300 panchayats also Sakhi Mandals should be formed. He said that after the formation of Sakhi Mandals the state government will be giving its 40 percent share of contribution while the remaining 60 percent will be given by the central government in three months.
He said that economic empowerment of the women belonging to the poor and tribal community is the priority for the state government and it was working to provide jobs to all BPL families. He said that all such families should be identified and women should be linked with Sakhi Mandals and such women should be given priority in the new Sakhi Mandals and they should get benefits of the government schemes. He said that if there will not be coordination between the agriculture and animal husbandry then economic empowerment cannot be achieved. Mr Das said that the state government for providing employment and self-employment to the women of the Sakhi Mandal and now they were being provided subsidy to take dairy production. He said that women from BPL category are being provided 90 percent subsidy to buy two cows.
He said that people should come forward and take advantage of the subsidy being provided for dairy as every year milk worth Rs 400 crore has to be imported. He asked the women of Sakhi Mandals to come forward in the area of agriculture and said that they would be sent to Israel to learn the modern methods of agriculture. He said that at panchayat level Ujjwala Didi should be appointed by September 30 and said that they would be identifying such needy families who need benefits of Ujjwala Yojana.
He said that in the days to come 14 lakh people would be provided benefits Ujjwala Yojana. Rural Development Minister Neelkanth Singh Munda said that things have changed after 2014 and now Jharkhand has become first in Mnrega. He said that it is a compliment that by forming Sakhi Mandals the government was working for their economic empowerment. He said that the government was reaching directly to the villages and the villagers to ensure that they get benefits of the scheme. Mr Munda said for the benefit of farmers arrangements of lift irrigation is being created.