Chandigarh: Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann on Wednesday announced that the state’s first-ever drug and caste socio-economic survey began on April 1, with the exercise aimed at mapping living standards across communities, identifying unemployment patterns and assessing the incidence of drug abuse.“This survey will become an important tool for equitable and targeted policymaking,” Mann said, adding that the exercise would help the govt frame a more scientific strategy to tackle substance abuse and social disparities.He said the survey would be conducted with strict confidentiality and would gather details on drug abuse, income levels and unemployment. “The data will help us identify qualified but unemployed youth across communities, understand average salary levels, and assess the prevalence of substance abuse in families,” he said.Nearly 28,000 govt employees have been deployed to cover around 65 lakh families across the state, and the exercise is expected to be completed within three months. The panchayats and rural development department has been designated as the nodal agency.Addressing a press conference while presenting a four-year report card of the rural development department, Mann also highlighted spending on village infrastructure, revenue from shamlat land leasing, employment generation under MGNREGA, and youth-focused development works.He said the state had spent Rs 3,847 crore on village development in the last four years and generated Rs 1,842.78 crore through leasing of shamlat land.Mann also said around 3,000 rural playgrounds were being developed over 6,500 acres at a cost of Rs 1,166 crore, while 500 modern panchayat buildings were being built in the second phase.On MGNREGA, he said 8.96 lakh people had received employment and 2.40 crore man-days had been generated under the scheme during the current govt’s tenure.RURAL WORKS: 4-YEAR REPORT CARDRs 3,847 crore spent on village development in 4 yearsRs 1,842.78 crore generated through shamlat land leasing3,000 playgrounds planned over 6,500 acresRs 1,166 crore to be spent on playgrounds500 panchayat buildings to come up in phase II9 lakh people got work under MGNREGABOX: UNDERGROUND HIGH TENSION WIRES Mann said that the Punjab govt was exploring the feasibility of putting high-tension wires passing through farmers’ land underground, and the strategy is being chalked out. “This will be a reprieve to the farmers as these wires pose a huge risk to them and their crops,” he said.MSID:: 129954029 413 |
