Kolkata/Purulia: Purulia will get investments of Rs 1 lakh crore in a year, CM Suvendu Adhikari announced following an administrative meeting on Sunday. Stepping up govt’s Kurmi community outreach, the CM also promised withdrawal of all cases initiated by the previous dispensation against members of the community, while assuring them that Kurmis would be kept out of the ambit of the proposed Uniform Civil Code (UCC) framework.“I have recently laid the foundation stone for a Rs 4,000-crore integrated steel manufacturing plant at Raghunathpur in Purulia. We have received many proposals for investment in Purulia and in one year, there will be Rs 1 lakh crore investment here in defence, steel, cement and many other sectors. Many have evinced interest in installing solar plates. Adequate land is available for the purpose,” said Adhikari.Maintaining that an airport under UDAN scheme will come up in Purulia, the CM said, “The agreement will be signed on Sept 28. A team from the civil aviation ministry was present today and the transport secretary was also there. The stage has been set for signing the agreement.”Addressing a Karam Parab celebration programme at Karadi earlier in the day, Adhikari said, “Ajit Mahato (a prominent figure of the long-running Kurmi) told me how the previous govt tried to create divisions among tribals. It did not fulfil any promises. When you (Kurmis) were fighting for the sake of your language, you were subjected to atrocities and false cases. All cases lodged against members of the Kurmi community during the previous govt’s tenure will be withdrawn.”He added: “We have formed a commission led by former Supreme Court judge Justice Ranjana Prakash Desai for implementing UCC. I have received requests to keep your community out of UCC ambit, and we have done the needful.”The CM said that the govt has allocated Rs 50 crore for development of the Kurmi community in this year’s budget and the amount will be enhanced in the coming days. “The defunct Kurmi Development Board will be made operational soon,” he added.Turning to the demand for constitutional recognition of Kurmali, the CM said Kurmi netas had made it clear that they would support the political party that agreed to include the language in the Eighth Schedule.“Keeping the demand in mind, we had promised in our manifesto that Kurmali would be recognised,” he said and added that MP Jyotirmoy Singh Mahato and former Jharkhand deputy CM Sudesh Mahato had discussed the issue with Union home minister Amit Shah.“It has been decided that Kurmali and Rajbanshi will be included in the Eighth Schedule,” Adhikari said.The Kurmi community’s mobilisation has been a significant issue in Jungle Mahal, and Sept 20 has been associated with the community’s agitation.Pointing out that Congress govts had not taken any step to recognise Santali, Adhikari said it was recognised in the Eighth Schedule only in 2003, during former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s tenure. “So, whatever work has to be done, BJP will do it… be it Atalji or Modiji. BJP knows how to keep its promises,” Adhikari said.
