BANGALORE: The State Government's Suvarna Gramodaya programme to provide urban amenities in rural areas will be launched in 1,025 villages next month.

Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy told presspersons here on Monday that President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam would be invited to launch the programme in the third week of February. Under the programme, priority would be given to infrastructure, industry, human resource development and community development, he said.

The Chief Minister, who earlier held a meeting with Minister for Rural Development and Panchayati Raj C.M. Udasi and officials of the department, said an action plan would be prepared for each village based on the requirement of the people after holding a gram sabha. The plan would incorporate Dr. Kalam's vision of eliminating poverty and providing urban facilities in rural areas (PURA). Non-governmental organisations, self-help groups and gram panchayats would be involved in implementing the programme under the leadership of the Chief Executive Officer. Apart from Rs. 1 crore to be released by the State Government to each village, funds would also be provided under Centrally sponsored schemes, he said.

A housing colony would be developed in each village and 70 per cent of the houses would be given to families living below the poverty line. Government assistance for the construction of toilets would be increased to Rs. 2,000 for each beneficiary, he said.

Vacancies to be filled

Mr. Udasi said that for effective implementation of the Suvarna Gramodaya programme, steps would be taken to fill vacancies in gram panchayats and separate panchayat development officers would be appointed. If the programme was implemented properly, all 27,000 villages in the State would have urban amenities in the next 10 years.

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