Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh today laid foundation stone of Lift Irrigation Scheme (LIS) Odder-Pudla in GP Dinger-Kinner,at Narag (Sen Dhar) in district Sirmaur to cost Rs 1.50 crore. The scheme would irrigate 20 to 25 hectare of land facilitating around 200 farmers of Odder and Pudla villages facing the brunt of climatic change.
It was for the first time that the farmers will get water through irrigational channels which would be constructed right till their fields.
The LIS is being constructed under National Adaption Fund on Climate Change (NAFCC) project named Sustainable Livelihood of Agriculture Dependant Rural Communities (SLADRC) on which a sum of Rs. 1.50 crore will be incurred.
Chief Minister said that similar schemes under NAFCC would be launched in Paonta Sahib and Sangrah block in near future for which funds have already been earmarked. The Chief Minister said that scheme is aimed to reduce the climate change vulnerability and improve the adaptive capacity of rural, small and marginal farmers including rural women in the state
Addressing a gathering he said that the state was rapidly progressing towards achieving high economic growth, while ensuring environmental sustainability and addressing the cross-cutting of climate change issues.
As many as 30,000 farmers would be provided training on climate adaptation in three blocks, viz: Pachhad, Sangrah and Paonta Sahib in Sirmaur district during next three years. At least 20,000 farmers from these blocks would be included under Financial Inclusion Programme and 15,000 farmers would be targeted under weather insurance programme.
The Chief Minister also laid foundation stone of Lift Water Supply Scheme (LWSS) Tikker Ser-Bharal to be completed at a cost of Rs. 85 lakh. This will benefit habitations of three villages with a population of around 900.
He laid foundation stone for construction and metalling/tarring of link road Mari-Ka-ghat—Sultanpur road upto Bathauli on which Rs. 8 crore will be spent, laid foundation stone of GSSS building at Mari-Ka-ghat to be constructed with an outlay of Rs. 1.50 crore, laid foundation stone for construction and metalling/tarring of link road Prem Nagar-Chandog-Bara Chakli-Girdhar- Sandrol on which Rs. 8.90 crore will be spent. He also laid foundation stone of Sub Tehsil building at Narag to be completed at a cost of Rs.1.10 crore.
Virbhadra Singh also announced inauguration of Civil Hospital building Sarahan constructed at a cost of Rs. 4.50 crore.
Vice-Chairman, State Planning Board, Gangu Ram Musafir, welcomed the Chief Minister to the region and thanked him for undertaking numerous development works. He exhorted the people to be aware of opportunists. He also lambasted the NDA for organising Kissan Sammelan, giving reasons that more than 12000 farmers have committed suicide as crushed under loans. He also highlighted the price rise issues of LPG, Pulses, etc in NDA regime.
Chairman HIMFED, Ajay Bahadur, DCC, President, Ajay Solanki, Chairman, Other Construction Workers Welfare Board, Hardeep Bawa, General Secretary, HPCC, Vinod Sultanpuri, were also present on the occasion amongst others.
