Missions possible
EDUCATION GUARANTEE SCHEME
It was launched on January 1, 1997, under the Rajiv Gandhi Prathmik Shiksha Mission. Any village in the state that does not have a primary school within a radius of I km is guaranteed a school within 90 days of applying. The criteria is that there should be at least 25 students in a tribal area and 40 in a non-tribal area. The state government would provide training and salary for a teacher, teaching-learning material, and contingencies to start a school.
The panchayat selects the teacher. The money goes straight for schooling and providing space for school. The villagers have the power to monitor and close down the School. Matriculation is the minimum qualification for the teacher. The state government spends Its 15,000 per school per year, which includes an honorarium of Its 500 per month. In the first year of implementation, an average of 40 Schools were started per day. Nearly 20,000 new schools have come up in the state.
RAJIV GANDHI WATERSHED DEVELOPMENT MISSION
The mission realises that the livelihood security crisis results from distortion in the relationship between people and their natural resourcebase. Thus employment-oriented programmes were used to advocate a watershed-based plan for environmental management.
At present. the mission works in 7,827 villages. 30,344 user groups and self-help groups have been formed in watersheds across the state and 5,304 women's thrift and credit groups are operational. User groups have contributed over Rs 3 crore for maintaining water harvestIng structures. Result an increase in groundwater levels in 3,000 villages.
PANCHAYATI RAJ
Perhaps the biggest boon to villagers under Panchayat! Rai is that 'mutation' is now above-board. Mutation is a legal process by which a plot of land is reassigned to the legal heirs on the death of a patta owner. Earlier, the inheritors had to approach the patwari (official who maintains the land records), who did work only after extracting a sizable 'fee'. Now, the patwari is required to do this work in the village in the presence of the gram sabha.
The sarpanch (elected leader of the village council) now authorises works of up to Rs 3 fakh. Different state government departments are to provide technical support to the councils. The councils also decide which families are poor and are hence eligible for social security. The councils also decide the eligibility of a senior citizen for the Indira Awes Yojana (housing project).
The panchayat handles 85 per cent of the expenditure for these schemes.
THE OTHER MISSIONS
Besides watershed development and EGS, there are five other missions in the Rajiv Gandhi mission. These are: mission for control of diarrhoea. for sanitation, for fisheries development, for rural industries and the mission for elimation of iodine deficiency disorders. The mission for elimination of iodine deficiency has met its objective. lodised salt is now consumed everywhere in the state.
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