Punjab To Revive Focal Point Scheme

The Punjab government has decided to revive the focal point scheme in the state, with a view to providing employment to rural youth and to make the necessary facilities available to the rural population near their homes. The scheme was first launched in 1977-78, by Parkash Singh Badal during his previous term as state Chief Minister. The scheme was abandoned during the Congress regime.

According to Badal, the work on the focal points would start soon. A committee has been constituted in each district to identify the location of the village for the focal point and the selection work will be completed within two months.

 

Each focal point will have an area of 20 to 30 acres. To begin with, five focal points will be created in each block. The criterion for the selection of focal points will be based on population, distance and flow of traffic from rural to urban areas. At present, there are 138 blocks in Punjab. The state government proposes to set up nearly 700 focal points all over the state. There are 116 focal points, set up during the previous Badal regime, which are in operation. Another 248 focal points are lying incomplete. According to Badal, the focus of the revived focal point scheme is to set up an industrial state in an area of 10 acres in each focal point for the promotion of small scale and agro-based industries.

The Chief Minister feels that the proposed industrial estates will not only provide self-employment to the rural youth but also help in the over-all development of the area.

Other facilities to be provided at the focal points include about 10 to 20 shops, a hospital, a veterinary hospital, marketing yards and agro service centres for distribution of seeds and pesticides.