Poverty is still there in Jharkhand: Das

Jharkhand Chief Minister Raghubar Das today rued that despite having natural resources, fertile land, picturesque areas and industrious human resource, poverty was there in the state.
Chairing the Jharkhand State Development Board (JSDB), Das said the number of BPL families was huge and the government's objective was to raise their living standards, an official release said here.
He said to raise the BPL families, their economic condition had to be improved and JSDB has been set up in that regard so that a 15-year vision document could be prepared and a strategy for seven or five years and action plan for three years drawn up.

Not only formulating short and long terms projects, but also their execution should be ensured, Das said.
Day to day monitoring would be carried out as to how many kms of road were constructed, how many households got electricity, which would help in execution of works in a time frame, the release quoting Das, said.
Stating that there was no hesitation in admitting that Jharkhand has been lagging behind in several indicators, the Chief Minister said only when one admits problems, solutions could be brought about.

A sub-committee from the JSCB would be set up, which would prepare a three-year road map. Apart from underlining objectives, the sub-committee would advice on its execution, the release said.

Establishing coordination among departments, projects would be executed, Das said and asked the officials for field verification.
He said agriculture was the priority for the state, but it did not mean only crops. Animal Husbandry, Pisciculture and Horticulture were also being encouraged - all these were life lines for rural economy.
Das said living condition of the people would improve if they were connected with all these areas and cited instances as to how 'Sakhi Mandals' were being connected with poultry with assistance of Rs four lakh. The eggs would be supplied to the nearby schools for midday meal, he said.

Similarly to bring about 'White Revolution', 50 cows were being given on the basis of subsidy, which would increase the income of the villagers for making them self-sufficient with regard to milk, the Chief Minister said adding, the government's objective was also to increase irrigation facilities and encourage cottage and micro industries.