Chhattisgarh launches Vidhayak (MLA) Adarsh Gram Yojana

Taking leaf out of the central scheme, Chhattisgarh today gave final shape to the proposal for launching Vidhayak adarsh gram yojana (MLA model village scheme) in the state.

The state cabinet on Tuesday approved the scheme and gave nod to the proposal to set up a high powered committee to execute the scheme. The committee would be headed by state's chief secretary. The cabinet also decided to depute the panchayat and rural development department as the nodal agency for the project.

The scheme is in the lines of Pradhan Mantri Adarsh Gram Yojana (PMAGY), a Government of India initiative for the empowerment of deprived sections. The scheme aims to achieve integrated development of selected villages through convergent implementation of all relevant Central and State schemes.

"The Vidhayak adarsh gram yojana will be exclusively state's scheme and will be implemented by different departments of the Chhattisgarh government through its undergoing schemes and programmes," state's panchayat and rural development minister Ajay Chandrakar said. The state government would arrange fund from its own resources to execute the scheme, he added.

The chief minister had urged the 90 MLAs in the state to submit the name of one village from their respective constituency that would be included in the scheme. The selection of the villages would be according to the norms set for the PMAGY. The villages falling under the category of general should have the population between 3000 and 5000 while those in tribal areas should house 1500 to 2000 people.

To start with, an amount of Rs 10 lakh would be drawn from the MLA local area development fund for implementing the scheme. The development works in the selected village under the scheme would be expedited and given priority in the implementation.