THE JHARKHAND STORY NETWORK
Ranchi, Oct 1: Chief Minister Hemant Soren today inaugurated the transfer of Rs 12,000 for each Jal Sahiya (water warrior) through DBT to purchase a smart phone.
A jal sahiya is a water warrior who works at the grassroots level to help with water and sanitation issues in rural areas in Jharkhand. There are around 30,000 Jal Sahiyas in the State under the State’s Drinking Water and Sanitation Department. Every village has a Jal Sahiya who has been appointed during a Gram Sabha.
Speaking at a function, organised by the Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation at Prabhat Tara Ground in Dhurva, Ranchi, Soren said that our government has worked to solve the problems of Jal sahiya sisters. “The previous governments had deprived the Jalsahiya sisters of their rights,” he alleged.
DWSD Principal Secretary M R Meena along with Agriculture Minister Deepika Pandey and JMM MLA Kalpana Soren was also present on the occasion.
“Our government has increased the honorarium of Jal sahiya sisters working at the village level to Rs 2,000 per month,” he pointed out.
Role of Jal Sahiyas
The chief minister said that at present, Jal Sahaiya sisters, many ambitious schemes of the state government reach every village and every home.
“No one can understand your problems better than me. Today, the state has a government of your hopes and aspirations. Certainly, our government has also been successful in fulfilling many of your expectations,” he said.
Rs 12,000 crores funds for women self-help groups
The chief minister said that in different ways, our government has made action plans to make the women’s self-help groups stand on their own feet and make them self-reliant.
He said that in the last 19 years, only Rs 600 to 700 crores of funds were provided to the women of self-help groups by the previous governments. “In the last 4 years, our government has provided a fund of Rs 12,000 crores for the all-round development of women self-help groups,” he added.