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Himachal CM launches green belt development scheme for rural senior citizens
The main objective of the scheme is to provide opportunity to the elderly to spend their leisure time strolling in parks and gardens, chief minister Jai Ram Thakur said.
Chief minister Jai Ram Thakur on Monday launched ‘Panchvati Yojna’ under which parks and gardens would be developed for senior citizens of rural areas in the state.
The scheme is being implemented by the rural development department.
The CM said the main objective of the scheme is to provide opportunity to the elderly to spend their leisure time strolling in parks and gardens.
He said such green belts would be developed on minimum of one bigha land with convergence of MGNREGA, Swachh Bharat Mission (Grameen) and 14th finance commission to enhance the life expectancy keeping in view the health requirements of senior citizens.
Ayurvedic and medicinal plants would be grown in these parks and gardens besides providing recreational equipment, walking tracks and other basic amenities for aged people.
“Close to 100 such parks would be developed in different parts of the state during the current financial year,” Jai Ram said.
In the first phase, these parks will come up in development block Gohar of Mandi district, Bangana in Una, Banjar and Naggar in Kullu, Kaza in Lahaul-Spiti, Nagrota Bagwan and Sullah in Kangra, Paonta Sahib and Pachhad in Sirmaur, Tissa and Bhatiyat in Chamba, Kalpa in Kinnaur, Kandaghat in Solan, Rohru in Shimla, and Nadaun in Hamirpur district.
“State Government was striving is trying to provide best facilities to the people of the State and this scheme was one step forward in this direction,” he said.
Thakur said the Covid-19 pandemic has forced policy makers to rethink and reformulate programmes with special focus on rural development.
Rural development minister Virender Kanwar expressed gratitude to the CM for showing keen interest in rural development.
STATE OFFICIALS TOLD TO EFFECTIVELY DISSEMINATE POLICIES, PROGRAMMES
The chief minister has also directed officials for effective dissemination of state government’s policies and programmes using social media.
Presiding over a meeting of information and public relations department officers, Jai Ram said PR professionals should think out of the box for effective broadcasting of state’s policies and programmes.
He said latest technologies must be used for publicising the various developmental schemes and success stories, and developmental features should be brought out and provided to both print and electronic media.
