Three villages, one each of Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh will soon be developed as clean and green model villages.
The lists of these villages were submitted by both the states and the UT administration before the high court during the resumed hearing of a suo motu petition initiated by the high court for the upliftment of women in distress.
The villages that will be developed under this project include Jhanpur, in SAS Nagar, Bhareili, near Barwala in Panchkula and Khudda Jassu, Chandigarh.
As per the discussions in the court, women could be employed under Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act scheme, whereby they would help in establishing hygienic kitchen for supplying food to urban centres for affordable food scheme and beautification and cleanliness in villages. The NGOs can be associated in helping install solar lights and bio-gas plants. Further, students of architecture colleges could be associated with the project for beautification and planned infrastructure, increasing green cover and landscaping to make villages more aesthetic.
The high court bench of justice Ritu Bahri also suggested that women living in the villages be motivated to produce healthy food, handicrafts etc. which could be sold in cities with the help of social media and other means.
Students of colleges could be motivated to share their books, toys, clothes etc. with children of villages to increase happiness and peace among women and children belonging to weaker sections, the HC bench said appointing a three-member committee each for Punjab and Haryana for effective implementation of the scheme.
Haryana mulls affordable food scheme in its urban centres across state
Meanwhile, the Haryana government has told the court that the labour department has submitted a proposal to the government on running an affordable food scheme for urban poor across state. The scheme has been named as “Antyodaya Aahar Yojana” for which the government has studied two similar schemes of Tamil Nadu and Rajasthan. A scheme on pilot project basis is being run in Panchkula by involving NGOs etc.
The scheme will help in providing cheap and nutritious food to indigent, destitute and construction workers, daily wage workers etc. The high court also gave copy of the scheme to Punjab’s counsel and asked Punjab advocate general to appear on the next date of hearing to assist in this matter.
