Nitish balm for 7-resolve itch

Patna: Chief minister Nitish Kumar on Friday calmed a youth who was irked at the flagship “Seven Resolves for a Developed Bihar” schemes not having reached his ward.

The situation arose during the chief minister’s visit to Baheri in Darbhanga on Friday to attend the launch of Extended Prime Minister Ujjwala Yojana. Union petroleum minister Dharmendra Pradhan and food and public distribution minister Ram Vilas Paswan were also present.

Nitish was speaking about the government’s work on development and welfare, when a ruckus surfaced among a section of the crowd standing towards the end of the venue. A few youths were raising their demands, prompting the chief minister to stop and ask them to tell him what their problem was after the function.

“What do you mean? What are the problems in your village? Come here and tell me. I will return to Patna only after listening to your difficulties,” Nitish told them, interrupting his speech.

The police, on the direction of senior officials, promptly segregated a youth from among among those who were creating the commotion and whisked him towards the outer side of the venue. After the function, Nitish met the young man – Shyam Sundar, a resident of Baheri in Darbhanga – and asked him what the issue was. It turned out to be a case related to implementation of the “seven resolves”.

The seven resolves include tap water, toilet, electricity connection, pucca lanes and drains to every household, economic empowerment of the youth and 35 per cent reservation to women in government jobs. Reservation to women has already been given by the government.

Shyam Sundar complained that schemes related to seven resolves were being implemented in neighbouring wards in his panchayat, but no work was being done in his own ward. “Road, drain, electricity and water-related schemes are yet to be implemented in my ward,” Shyam said.

Nitish smiled and said that wards or tolas (habitations) where Scheduled Castes were in majority were being given priority, but assured him that the entire state would be covered. “The schemes will be completed in four years and all parts of the state will be covered,” Nitish said.

The chief minister has faced such protests at various places during his Vikas Karyon ki Samiksha Yatra, conducted a few months ago. In fact, he was attacked at Nandan village in Dumraon in Buxar district a few months ago by people over non-implementation of some of the schemes pertaining to the seven resolves, after allegedly being instigated by some political leaders and workers.

A senior official tasked with monitoring the “seven resolves” said: “We cannot implement all the schemes in all the wards or villages simultaneously. It is possible only in a phased manner. The chief minister has himself iterated this several times. However, the phase-wise implementation does trigger jealously, rivalry and anger among wards and villages. But, it is just a matter of time and everybody would be happy once the schemes are implemented everywhere.”

Courtesy: The Telegraph