Kolkata: Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee highlighted various measures taken by her government for tribal upliftment in Purulia and vowed to continue work for overall development of the region. She slammed the BJP leadership accusing them of provoking the tribal population in Purulia.
“There are some people in the BJP who have been hired to incite violence in Bengal. They go to villages to provoke the Adivasis. But what has BJP provided to the people?” questioned Banerjee.
“We have only two MLAs in Purulia and not a single MP. The people had supported the BJP but they have done absolutely nothing. We have given due importance in every field to the Adivasis, Kurmis, Santhals and Rajbangshis. I have already put forth my opinion about Sari and Sarna Dharma (religion) at the state Legislative Assembly. We have raised the issue in the Cabinet meeting as well. I have written to the Centre for awarding religious status to Sari and Sarna,” Banerjee said addressing a distribution programme at Hutmura Maidan in Purulia on Thursday in a clear indication that development by the government has not seen any party colours. Banerjee inaugurated and distributed government schemes worth Rs 375 crore in Purulia. She announced that like the Adivasi Bhawan in Kolkata, the Kurmi Bhawan is being constructed in Purulia.
In Purulia, around 39,000 beneficiaries got bicycles under the Sabooj Sathi scheme, 22,000 benefitted from Lakshmir Bhandar, 10,000 from Shikshashree, 9,000 from Kanyashree, over 10,000 from Krishak Bandhu, 11,000 from Khadya Sathi and 4,000 from Swasthya Sathi.
“The Centre has also stopped scholarships for minorities. To counter that, we have used state government funds to provide scholarships to 1.5 crore students. Since the Centre has stopped scholarships for our OBC students, we have started a scholarship named ‘Medhashree’. I want each and every student to prosper and succeed,” Banerjee added.
She maintained that several tourism centres are coming up in Purulia. “We have the Ayodhya Hills here, where we are constructing resorts. This will boost the tourism sector in the district,” she added.
She mentioned that Chou Dance Academy has been established in Purulia, providing further boost to the cultural side.
Banerjee further added that several festivals celebrated by the tribals here have been acknowledged. “Purulia district is not very stable financially. Here, our main focus is the schemes related to water supply. There was a time when we were afraid to come to Purulia due to the active presence of Maoists. We have seen how they have destroyed the district. But today, people are happy here,” Banerjee said.