Jhargram: Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday said that reports about the starvation deaths in Jhargram district were absolutely untrue and that there were elaborate arrangements to provide food to the locals of the area.
Addressing the administrative meeting held, she said: "There have been no starvation deaths in the district as the state government has been running several welfare schemes in the region which was once a Maoist bastion."
She said the state government is giving a kilogram of rice for Rs 2 to ensure that every person gets food. "Every person gets 8 kg rice and 3 kg wheat per month. However, I have come to know that people who don't require the grains sell part of their quota in the open market," she added.
She also directed the district administration to include the Sabars in the schemes under 100 days' work.
Sabar community is an ethnic tribe, mainly residing in Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Bengal.
Banerjee also expressed concern over the elephant-man conflict. Elephants are entering the district from nearby areas of Jharkhand and destroying crops.
This has been happening for quite some time. The elephants use a pathway near Lalgarh forest.
Banerjee has been asking the district administration for quite some time to take steps to stop the conflict. Many youths have been recruited to assist the Forest department as well.
The Chief Minister asked the district administration to take up projects so that the beneficiaries become self-reliant.
Self-Help Groups have been set up all over the state and they can be used for floriculture, cashew cultivation and fish cultivation. She said plates made out of saal leaves have tremendous potential and they can be kept even at the Biswa Bangla stores.
"The Self-Help Groups are doing excellent work in many areas and if proper training can be given, they can do a miracle," she said. It may be mentioned that in Nadia, some women belonging to those groups have become self-reliant by doing fish cultivation.
The state Panchayat department has helped them to dig tanks where they are doing fish cultivation and selling their produce in the market.
Banerjee urged the Panchayat members to work for the people.
"Go to the people and listen to their grievances. Give them a patient hearing and then take up schemes to resolve the problems. We know all the problems cannot be solved but one should deal with them sympathetically." It may be mentioned that in every party meeting, Banerjee is urging her party workers to go to the masses and work for them. "You cannot do politics from home. You will have to go to the people and talk to them," was her advice to her party colleagues.