‘Rebuilding what was destroyed in 20 years’: Jharkhand CM kicks off Phase 2 of ‘Sarkar Aapke Dwar’ programme

“In the last 20 years, Jharkhand has been pushed into a pit of problems. The 20 years of disruptions by Opposition parties in the state will take some time to mend. They ate all the money, but our government will make an officer stand at the gates of these funds,” Soren said at the town’s Jhanda Maidan.

The programme, which was organised to mark three years of the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha-led government in the state, aims at processing applications related to welfare schemes on the spot so that villagers start receiving benefits at the earliest.

#Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren to arrive in Giridih for #SarkarApkeDwar programme pic.twitter.com/mN03UuCcJF

— Susobhan Roy (@susobhanroy01) October 12, 2022

Highlighting the success of the first phase of the ‘Sarkar Aapke Dwar’ programme, Soren said, “We received about 35 to 40 lakh suggestions under the scheme and 99 per cent of them were resolved.”

The first phase was launched by chief minister Soren on Statehood Day on November 15, 2021 after which the government started holding camps for beneficiaries at the panchayat level. In 2021, a total of 6,867 camps were organised and out of a total of 35.94 lakh applications, 35.56 lakh applications were disposed of. Around 42,000 applications are under process.

Sharing the stage with Jharkhand ministers Jagarnath Mahto, Alamgir Alam and Satyanand Bhokta, Gandey MLA Dr Sarfraz Ahmad, Giridih MLA Sudivya Kumar and Bagodar MLA Vinod Singh, Soren asserted the coalition solidarity against the BJP.

The CM also laid down the foundation for 48 new schemes under the programme, worth Rs 391 crore. The camps under the second phase will be conducted in two parts, the first one from October 12 to 22 and the second one from November 1 to 14, this year.

Under the programme, applications will be received under schemes like Jharkhand State Food Security Scheme for green ration cards, Savitribai Phule Kishori Samridhi Yojana, Chief Minister’s Livestock Development Scheme, Sarvajan Pension Yojana and Kisan Credit Card (KCC), among others.

Under the Kishori Samridhi Yojana to promote girl child education, the government is offering Rs 2,500 for students in Classes VIII and IX and Rs 5,000 for students in Classes X and XII. The state government has also promised Rs 20,000 after a girl reaches the age of 18 years. Overall, a girl student can avail up to Rs 40,000 under this scheme.

Talking about the Sarvajan Pension Yojana, under which the state has re-started the pension plan, Soren said, “I met PM Narendra Modi and asked for help to give pension to every poor, despite that, he did not listen to us.”

“I told the PM that Jharkhand has the most labourers among all states. Poverty is also very high in the state. Every old person needs a pension. But they did not do anything. So we took the matter in our hands and now every widow, old [senior citizen] will get pensions in their bank accounts,” he said.

Soren also hit out at the BJP saying it had nothing to do with the poor and alleged that the party only appeased the rich and industrialists.

“It took 40 years to get Jharkhand statehood, and then the Opposition destroyed it in the first 20, how can we rebuild it in one-and-a-half years? Also, on top of that, the Covid-19 pandemic hit us as soon as our government came to power,” Soren added.

Even as the CM spoke, some people in the audience chanted anti-government slogans. Though health workers (Sahiya/Anganwadi workers) disrupted Soren with their demands, Soren continued his speech.

Health workers (Sahiya/Anganwadi workers) disrupted(Express photo)

Alam Ara, a Sahiya worker under the Jharkhand health department, said that ground-level healthcare workers in the state need attention. “We get paid very less and the government has ignored us completely,” she said, continuing to chant slogans against the CM.

Meanwhile, beneficiaries who received money or equipment under the scheme said they were satisfied with the JMM-led coalition government.