On 57th Foundation Day, Gujarat Chief Minister Anandiben Patel today said her government has decided to make 300 villages across the state self-reliant on the lines of smart cities.
“Now that the concept of Smart Cities has reached Smart Villages, the government decided to make 300 villages self-reliant, clean and hygienic during this year,” she said in an official release here today.
Ms. Patel was in Chhotaudepur town of the tribal-dominated district, about 100 kms from Vadodara to attend state-level Foundation Day celebrations. Gujarat Governor O.P. Kohli will also attend the event later in the day.
Announcing a slew of measures on the occasion, Ms. Patel in her message said, “the government will set up a Tribal university in the Narmada district, over 100 smart Ashram shalas, 10 new hostels for tribal girl students at a cost of Rs. 3 crore, besides ‘Samras’ hostels at a cost of Rs. 10 crore.”
“The government has reserved 33 per cent in jobs for women, under which 2,800 women have been employed in police department. There is a plan to provide jobs to 22,000 women this year,” she said.
This is in addition to providing 300 sq. m. land and Rs. 5 lakh assistance to milk societies run by women to construct milk houses, besides providing chilling centres, milking machines and chaff cutters to 2.50 lakh Sakhi Mandals (Self-Help Groups) of 35 lakh women.
To realise the goal of health for all, Ms. Patel said, “We have started certain key schemes like screening of 78 lakh women to test breast, cervical and mouth cancer besides treatment of 1,018 women cancer patients in super speciality hospitals free-of-cost, relief for poor and middle-class families under Amritam-Ma Yojna.”
Also, allocation under Ma-Vatsalya Yojna has been increased by 33 per cent to Rs. 160 crore and the government is bearing the cost up to Rs. 2 lakh for each such patient, she said.
“The government has decided to provide free medicine to diabetes and blood pressure patients. It has decided to spend Rs. 102 crore on 100 vehicles in 108 ambulance service.
