GULBARGA: Srinivas Saradgi village, just 15 km from Gulbarga city, is a glaring example of a village in neglect.

Gulbarga city is considered one of the leading educational centres in the Hyderabad-Karnataka region, with a number of educational institutions. Yet, the literacy percentage in this village is as low as 30.64 per cent. In the population of 6,181 of the village, only 1,994 are literate. Of the 2,948 women in the village, only 554 are literate.

The State Government has selected Srinivas Saradgi as one of the 1,098 villages for the Suvarna Gramodaya project aimed at their comprehensive development. President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam launched the ambitious project of the State Government from this village on February 25.

No impact

The literacy programmes taken up by the Total Literacy Mission in the district in the past appears to have had no impact on the residents of this village. A total of 56.46 per cent of the population in the village is Scheduled Castes. More than 40 per cent of the population in the village is workers and 14.77 per cent is agricultural labourers.

Despite the poverty alleviation programmes introduced by the Government in the village, 63.45 per cent of the families live below the poverty line, according to official figures. And the number of skilled labourers is only 15.

Land cost up

Apart from the funds released under the Suvarna Gramodaya project, the village has been provided Rs. 33.38 lakh for taking up different development works. The land cost in the village has gone up in the past couple of years owing to the Government's decision to construct an airport on the outskirts of the village.

Cultivation

The village, though backward, is endowed with fertile lands and good underground water reserves. As per official records, the total area under groundwater irrigation is 400 acres of land dominated by crops such as mango, banana, grapes, papaya and vegetables.

Under the Suvarna Gramodaya project, the Government has allocated Rs. 66.74 lakh for the development of internal roads and Rs. 24 lakh for construction of drainages. A sum of Rs. 1.6 lakh has been provided for electrification works, including installation of street lamps. A sum of Rs. 20 lakh has been provided for vocational training and Rs. 10 lakh each for projects of the Women and Child Welfare department and for construction of a multi-purpose cultural bhavan.

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