Tamil Nadu - Cuddalore   

NGOs, SIMA to help village panchayats in Cuddalore

Special Correspondent

To contribute Rs 1.22 crore for the purpose

CUDDALORE: Thirteen non-governmental organistions, including the Southern India Mills Association at Coimbatore, have come forward to improve infrastructure in the village panchayats in the district, according to Rajendra Ratnoo, District Collector.

The Collector told presspersons at Thazhanguda near here on Tuesday, where he had gone to inspect the progress of works under the Anaithu Grama Anna Marumalarchi Thittam, that the NGOs proposed to contribute over Rs 1.22 crore for the purpose.

Their contribution would be in the form of equipping the village libraries with computers, periodicals and magazines. Life Help had tentatively committed Rs. 1 crore to bridge infrastructure gaps in all panchayats in the Parangipettai block and Jeyamkondapattinam in Kumaratchi block.

The SIMA had proposed to sponsor 10 computers to rural libraries at a cost of Rs.2.50 lakh, besides providing substantial employment opportunities to the youths covered under the scheme.

Low-income level

Mr. Ratnoo said, under the scheme, the Government had proposed to make an annual allocation Rs.500 crore to 2,500 panchayats across the State, at the rate of Rs. 20 lakh each. He pointed out that since many village panchayats had very low-income they were finding it difficult to provide the statutory services or improve the infrastructure.

The scheme accorded priority to the poorest village panchayats in terms of the per capita income. Under the scheme it had been proposed to cover one-fifth of the village panchayats, in the ascending order of the per capita income, each year over a period of five years.

To start with the Government had allotted Rs.27 crore for implementation of various schemes in 136 panchayats.

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