UP ministers fail to clear IRDP test

In the current financial year, 8,430 villages in the State were to be covered under the Integrated Rural Development Project (IRDP). But les...

In the current financial year, 8,430 villages in the State were to be covered under the Integrated Rural Development Project (IRDP). But less than two months away from the deadline, 2,005 villages are yet to be brought under the scheme. And this time, the fault lies with the MLAs and MLCs. All the MLAs and MLCs were told to identify and provide a list of 10 backward villages in their respective constituencies where IRDP could be implemented. But not many of them bothered to do so.

The result: most of these villages still suffer from lack of basic amenities like drinking water, kutcha roads, proper sanitation and education facilities. Now, the rural development department has handed over a list of all those who failed to respond to Vishwambhar Prasad Nishad, Minister, Ambedkar Gram Vikas and IRDP.

• Minister of State for Higher Education Ram Asre Vishwarkarma has not submitted the name of a single village ever since the inception of IRDP in the State in 2003.

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• Family Welfare Minister Ahmad Hasan has managed to give the names of only two villages.

• Urban Development Minister Azam Khan and Panchayati Raj Balram Yadav are also among the ministers who failed to respond.

• The list includes Vidhan Parishad members Sushir Goyal, Bharat Singh, Om Prakash Sharma, Hari Singh Dhillo and a dozen more.

‘‘Yes, it is true that many ministers, MLAs and MLCs apparently don’t find time to select backward villages to initiate development. I have written to them in this regard many times. My last letter was sent just about a week back, requesting them to respond within 15 days. No response has come so far,’’ confirmed Nishad.

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He said he had also requested Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav to take initiatives to ensure completion of the target. ‘‘I believe that he would be taken seriously. The CM is serious about developmental issues and only he can make the leaders react quickly,’’ he said.

Since 2003, when the IRDP was implemented in UP, 5,773 of the targeted 14,775 villages have been left out. According to Nishad, none of the annual targets could be met over the years. In 2003-04, 1,324 of the targeted 3,726 villages could not be selected. In 2004-05, another 2,444 villages were left out due to unavailability of the list. Under the IRDP, villages are to be provided basic amenities. These include a road, sewer lines, sanitary latrines, clean drinking water, primary and secondary schools and agricultural land to the poor on lease.

But details available with the department pointed out that none of the targets for 2005-06 could be met.

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