Port Blair, Jan 3: The Lt Governor, Lt. Gen A.K. Singh (Retd) today inaugurated the Public Information Campaign of Press Information Bureau at Football Ground, Ferrargunj.
Addressing the gathering, he stated the UT Administration is getting all assistance from the Prime Minister and the Central Govt. to carry forward development activities. It will be his endeavour and the entire Island Administration team to implement the schemes of the Central Govt on ground so that the fruits of development reach the general public. The Lt. Governor said that the aim of the campaign is to disseminate among the masses about the various development schemes brought by the Central Govt for the benefit of the people and its implementation on the ground.
Due to geographical locations and poor connectivity, the Lt Governor said that information about the development at times does not reach interior area. It is in this context, the Public Information Campaign organized by the Press Information Bureau (PIB) to reach out to the masses is an important one and also commendable, the Lt Governor added. The Lt Governor stated that this campaign has all the relevant information about the schemes brought by the Central Govt in last one and a half year and urged the general public to visit all the stalls and get the information /scheme which are relevant for them and be benefitted.
Regarding Prime Minister’s Mudra Yojana scheme, the Lt Governor informed that a target was fixed of 2000 persons for this scheme, out of which, 1300 persons were provided loan. Similarly, under Prime Minister’s Jan Dhan Yojana, over 66,000 thousand accounts were opened and most of them are active accounts.
Apart from this, the participation in the schemes such as Suraksha Beema Yojana and Jeevan Jyoti Yojana is also encouraging, the Lt Governor added. Under the ‘Beti Bachao-Beti Padao’ scheme, the Lt Governor said that this scheme was launched in 100 District and in A&N Islands, Nicobar District was covered. In the last 10 years, the sex ratio in Nicobar District has slowly improved and with concerted effort by all, the sex ratio in the Islands is surely going to improve further, he added. “We should feel proud that in A&N Islands our girls and women get better opportunity in all fields when compared to any States or UT in Mainland”, he said. “They (girls and women) contribute immensely to our society, they are found to be very sincere and are very much balanced in their approach to life”, the Lt Governor stated.
Responding to the point raised by the MP regarding Saansad Adarsh Gram Yojana, the Lt Governor stated that the development activities in the selected villages i.e Ferrargunj, Kinuka and Ramnagar have to be carried out in the Chairmanship of Chief Secretary under the guidance of Member of Parliament. The development plan for the three selected villages has already made and the departments concerned have to start developmental activities on ground. In this regard the Lt Governor directed the Chief Secretary and the Secretary, Rural Development to undertake all the activities in all the three selected villages immediately. Having a word to the young elected members of the local bodies, the Lt Governor advised them to do self introspection about their duties towards the society. Do your best for the welfare of the people of your respective ward or Panchayat, the Lt Governor said and assured them that Administration is there if they need any help. The Lt Governor desired that more youth from the Islands must join Defence Forces. He said last year, 84 youth joined Defence and this year 200 vacancies are there for Isles youth. He further stated that he has requested the Defence Minister to give approval to establish another Territorial Army Battalion in these Islands so that it will pave way for recruitment of 700-800 youth from these Isles.
Later, the Lt. Governor visited the stalls set up by various departments of A&N Administration, Central Govt. Departments and Defence for the benefit of the people.
In his address on the occasion, the Member of Parliament, Shri Bishnu Pada Ray appreciated the effort of the PIB Port Blair for organizing this campaign in order to educate the masses about the schemes of Central Govt. The development plans devised by the Modi Govt. in last one and a half year has been displayed in the exhibition (Public Information Campaign), he added.
Earlier, welcoming the gathering, the Addl. Director General, PIB, Kolkata, Shri D. Chakrabarthi stated that the Govt. of India’s programme ‘Sabka Saath Sabka Vikas’ is being pursued for inclusive growth under the leadership of Prime Minister of India. He further said that PIC is not merely a programme but its a people’s festival. He said during the one and half year lot of developments have taken place and this will be highlighted through PIC.
The Chief Secretary, Shri Anand Prakash, Adhyaksha, Zilla Parishad, South Andaman, Smt. Minati Biswas, Secretary, Rural Development, Shri N.K. Sharma, Director General of Police, Shri Rajesh Malik, Up-Adhyaksh, ZPSA, Shri Subir Chander, Pramukh, Panchayat Samiti, Ferrargunj, Shri Sandeep Biswas, Pradhan, Gram Panchayat Ferrargunj, Shri Muneshwaran were, among others, who attended inaugural function.
The students of GSSS Model School, Ferrargunj presented Saraswati Vandana. A skit highlighting the theme ‘Swatch Bharat’ was presented by the students.
After the inaugural function, the second session was held in which sports activities were presented by students and this was followed by cultural programme by students. Folk dance & cultural programme was organized by Directorate of Tribal Welfare. A cultural programme by local artists was also presented later in the evening. A film show on flagship programmes of Govt. of India was also screened.
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