Rural poor to get new livelihood opportunities for economic upliftment
Bhopal: Integrated efforts will be made towards constantly benefiting the rural poor through livelihoods activities for their economic upliftment. Besides, large-scale benefits under various government welfare schemes and social security programmes will also be extended to them. These important suggestions were put up at a one-day state-level livelihoods workshop under the aegis of State Rural Livelihoods Mission here today.
Additional Chief Secretary Panchayats & Rural Development Smt. Aruna Sharma said that planned efforts are necessary for economic upliftment of landless labourers and rural people with marginal landholding. Intensive campaigns should be launched to associate such people with livelihoods activities and imparting job-oriented training. Smt. Sharma said that 8 shops will now be constructed in every panchayat under Mukhyamantri Haat-Bazaar Yojana. These shops will be allotted to rural youths after imparting them proper training. She said that through this, the youths will become self-reliant in various businesses. Smt. Sharma said that over 76 thousand women’s self-help groups are linked with Mid-Day Meal Scheme. These groups should also be linked with various livelihoods activities to provide them extra income. For this, they can be benefited by linking them with production and distribution of Vindhya Valley spices, milk and sale network of Hindustan Lever.
CEO Shri L.K. Belwal threw light on the workshop’s objectives. He said that this programme will help district-level staff understand rural employment programmes being implemented by various government departments and enable them to implement the programmes in a better way. Commissioner MNREGA Dr. Ravindra Pastor threw light on livelihoods activities through MNREGA. Shri S.D. Pateriya threw light on livelihoods through silk and tusser production, Shri U.K. Sadbuddhi on fisheries and Shri R.R. Okhandiyar on livelihood augmentation through small forest produce collection.
On the occasion, representatives of voluntary oganisations Asha, Pradan, Card, Basics and Aga Khan Foundatin share success in livelihood activities. Questions raised by district project managers of State Rural Livelihoods Mission and District Poverty Initiative Project were answered by experts. Programme was conducted by Director State Project Shri A.K. Tiwari.
