PM's Rural Development Fellowship scheme gets underway

Selected youth will work in LEW-affected districts

HYDERABAD (AP) -07-03-2012 - BL/ REPORT: AMIT MITRA: Mr. Jairam Ramesh , Union Minister for Rural Development and Mr. Kishore Chandra Deo , Union Minister for Panchayat Raj and Tribal Affairs with the Prime Minister's Rural Development Fellows trained by Ministry of Rural Development and the Tata Institute of Social Sciences , at the launch in Hyderabad on Saturday .150 students have been trained at the AP Agricultural Rural Development to be deployed in the Schedule 5 districts in the country , to act as a link between the Government's implementation programmes and the people . -PHOTO: P_V_SIVAKUMAR

Union Minister for Rural Development Jairam Ramesh launched the Prime Minister's Rural Development Fellowship (PMRDF) programme here on Saturday.

Under the programme, 156 youth selected for the fellowship would work in 78 Left-wing extremism (LWE)-affected districts covered in the integrated action plan (IAP) in nine States – Bihar, Orissa, West Bengal, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Jharkhand for two years.

Speaking at the launch, the Minister said the programme would involve committed young people to facilitate development and welfare schemes in challenging rural areas. Terming it a “leap in the dark”, the Minister said the impact of the initiative would only be known as it would happen.

After two-month training, they would work closely with local elected bodies and women self-help groups to improve the implementation of government schemes, due to lack of which the areas remained under-developed, Mr. Jairam Ramesh said. They would work directly under district Collectors and Chief Executive Officers of Zilla Parishads. “The fellows will not be agents of the Centre. There will be no assault on the federal nature of our governance,” he assured. He, however, cautioned them that their job would be tough and very difficult. “Some of you may be welcomed with open arms and some others may be seen as interlopers. You have to find your niche,” the Minister told them.

He complimented Andhra Pradesh for doing exceptionally well over the last 30 years in containing Left-wing extremism with the help of security operation, development activities and political mobilisation together. The new initiative would be extended to all Schedule V and VI areas later, he said.

Union Minister for Panchayati Raj and Tribal Affairs V. Kishore Chandra Deo attributed the high prevalence of unemployment, under-employment, poor development to the hold of extremist groups on the IAP areas. He expressed dissatisfaction over non-implementation of Panchayats Extension to Scheduled Areas (PESA) Act even 15 years after it had come into existence.

Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission M.S. Ahluwalia, Director General of CAPART A.K. Singh, Director of Tata Institute of Social Sciences S. Parasuraman and others spoke.