Thaindian News

Agartala, Apr 19 (ANI): With the continuous efforts put in by the government, the Thakur Para and Madhab Badi villages in Tripura, which till a few years ago were safe havens for militants is gradually witnessing peace and harmony and moving ahead on the path of development.

The classrooms in Madhab Kami Senior School, which was once empty, now reverberate with joyous cries of students. The reason behind the change is that people are no longer scared of being attacked by the militants, and more children are attending the school.

The credit for this change also goes to the implementation of Centre’s flagship program Sarva Shiksha Abhiyaan in the region under which the school has been renovated, students provided mid-day meals and the status of the school upgraded from junior basic to senior basic.

“Under Sarva Shiksha Abhiyaan Scheme, we are provided free textbooks, school dress, sports goods monetary grants to students and teachers and other facilities. There have been infrastructure developments in recent years. The attendance in the schools has increased by a good number. We also provide mid-day meals to the students,” said Swapna Rani Debbarma, Head Mistress.

“The school provides us uniforms, books, pencils, erasers and meals. We also get Ludo, balls and other sport goods for recreation,” added Anuradha Saha, a student.

Baramura ranges surround two hamlets located in West Tripura. The region has fertile soil and paddy cultivation is the major occupation of the people.

Farmers here want the government to provide better irrigation facilities so that they can increase the crop yield. The other main occupations in the region are animal rearing and weaving.

“If there is better irrigation facility then we can improve the yield. We request the government to look into it and also provide better quality seeds and fertilizers so that quality and quantity of the yield can be increased,” said Saras Debbarma, a farmer.

The socio economic condition of the two hamlets is improving rapidly, the credit for which goes to centrally sponsored schemes that have been implemented in the region.

Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojna is one such scheme that has helped improve the condition of the roads and connectivity in a big way.Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme provides employment to villagers. Under it, they are able to earn a monthly income of Rs. 2000-Rs 3000.

“From the income we get from MGNREGA, we are able to educate our children and run our family smoothly. This is an additional income and earlier we did not have it earlier,” said Niranjan Das, MGNREGA worker.

“I work under the MGNREGA project implemented by the Centre. I am now able to earn for my family along with my husband. The extra income helps us to educate our children. On an average, we get 80 to 90 days work in a year,” added Anita Acharjee, another MGNREGA worker. (ANI)