JAIPUR: The Rajasthan Government has decided to request the World Bank to implement the District Poverty Initiative Project (DPIP) in all districts of the State following the latter's decision to extend the project till 2007. The DPIP is currently in operation in seven districts in the desert State.

Implementation

The formal proposals for extension of DPIP to all districts would shortly be submitted to the World Bank, said the Panchayati Raj and Rural Development Minister, Kalulal Gujjar, here on Thursday. Mr. Gujjar said Rajasthan would achieve the first rank in the implementation of DPIP on the lines of its achievements in the midday meals scheme for schoolchildren.

Mr. Gujjar, addressing a meeting of the Governing Council of DPIP at Yojana Bhavan here, underlined the need for achieving the targets worth Rs. 150 crores allotted during 2005-06 and acclaimed the progress made during the last two years. He expressed the hope that the pace of work would be maintained in the extended period of the project.

The Minister approved renewal of the agreements made with the non-Government organisations till June 2007 and said the benefits of DPIP should be extended uniformly to the groups of common interests. The members of these groups will be associated with the income generation activities.

The DPIP Project Director, P.S. Somshekhar, making a presentation on the achievements, said the community infrastructure works had been taken up under the project in Jhalawar, Baran and Dholpur districts, while as many as 9,091 sub-projects for income generation had been sanctioned till September this year.

Development

The activities in the land development, agriculture and animal husbandry sectors have also been launched in the seven districts under the project. All 7,039 villages in 42 blocks in the seven districts have been connected with DPIP through NGOs and the Rajasthan Cooperative Dairy Federation and 20,202 groups have been constituted.

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