Gram Pradhans doing good work to be honoured on Nov 15: Das

Jharkhand Chief Minister Raghubar Das today said honorarium for Manki, Munda, Gram Pradhan (as per social practices) will be increased and honorarium will be fixed to Manjhi, Parganet and Padha Raja.
Addressing a Gram Vikas Samelan (village development convention) at the HEC stadium here, Das also said those Gram Pradhans who would do excellent work would be honoured on the state's foundation day on November 15.
Boundary of all Sarna areas would be done within one year, Das said adding, the state government was working with all the sections of the society.
Since the creation of the state, it used to be only one way dialogue with the people being only the listeners, but now the government was preparing schemes along with the people, who want malnutrition-free, literate and healthy Jharkhand, Das said.

Stating that land acquisition has been simplified for development, Das said nobody could violate the basic structure of Chhota Nagpur Tenancy Act and Santhal Pargana Tenancy Act.
Four times of the land worth would be paid within four months in the event of acquisition and, as per rules, land would be returned, if a scheme failed to take off within five years, he said.

The land owners would retain the ownership and compensation amount would not be taken back, he said.
The Chief Minister said land was required for the development of villages and people also desired development and electricity as their wards could read and cited examples of Pesrar village in Lohardaga and Gujri village in Chaibasa where electricity sub-station could be constructed due to land acquisition.

Stating that only 38 lakh of 68 lakh households in Jharkhand have electricity and it took 70 years, Das said asking whether it should take another 50 years to electrify the 30 lakh houses.
The government desired to speed up development and wanted to electrify every household by 2018, he said and asked whether acquisition of land to construct sub-stations was not necessary.
People also want health facilities, education and irrigation, Das said.
Stating that earlier coal from Jharkhand was used outside the state for electricity purpose, Das said his government wanted to set up power plants with its own coal, which would enable electricity and employment.

Community radio would be set up to help people in the remotest places know about the government's schemes and benefit from it, Das said adding, skill training, specially for the tribals, would also be enabled.