UGA promises 150 days’ work under MGNREGA

We will empower the village 'Gram Sabhas' to make them the fulcrum of  decision-making

PRASHANT ACHARYA, EOI, SILIGURI, JULY 2, 2023 : Leaders of the United Gorkha Alliance on Sunday released the election manifesto of the alliance for the ensuing panchayat polls.   It outlined the shared vision of the alliance partners for development of the villages in the hills of Darjeeling and Kalimpong.

"We will empower the village 'Gram Sabhas' to make them the fulcrum of  decision-making. We will adopt bottom-up approach to the decision-making processes, so that the development needs of our region are addressed according to the priorities set by the local communities. We will ensure honest and transparent governance, free of  cut-money, nepotism and corruption. 

We are committed to rejuvenating our rural economy, strengthening our rural infrastructure, and modernizing the delivery of panchayat services through digitization," said MP Raju Bista of the BJP. Bista promised to ensure timely implementation of all Central projects for rural development, and  ensure  that  the 100 percent of the benefits of various schemes initiated by the  Centre and the West Bengal Government for rural areas reached the people directly. 

He said: "We will ensure 100 percent  food  security  for  all through  the  Antyodaya  Anna Yojana, we will work closely with the Centre to ensure implementation of the Minimum Wages Act and New Labour Codes in the tea gardens and cinchona plantations. 

We will ensure housing for all under Pradhan Mantri Aawas Yojana, and drinking water to every household under the Har Ghar Jal Yojana. We will connect every village with a road network under PM Gramin Sadak Yojana. We will increase the number of days worked under MGNREGA from 100-days to 150-days per year. We will ensure transparency in school recruitments, recruitment of qualified teachers and staff, and free our education system from dirty politics. 

We will improve school infrastructure through Sarva Siksha Abhiyaan. We will improve health  care  facilities under the National Health Mission. We will appoint trained nurses in primary health centers, strengthen rural health missionby recruiting more ICDS and ASHA workers where needed.” 

Bista said that he wanted the hill region to once again become the hub of education, tourism, agro-economy, floriculture, horticulture, dairy, and to ensure sustainable development of the Darjeeling hills. 

“We will develop roads, nali, jhora. Remote villages lacking road accessibility will be connected using ropeway systems. 

We will work to strengthen skill and employment opportunities for our rural youths through the National Rural Livelihood Mission. We will also work in close collaboration with the Ministry of Culture to ensure protection and preservation of our ethnic culture, languages, and traditions."