The Centre’s flagship Pradhan Mantri Cha Shramik Protsahan Yojana (PMCSPY) for the welfare of tea garden workers has finally moved a step forward in West Bengal as the State Level Committee has finalised the implementation framework and approving a financial outlay of Rs 313.30 crore.
The North Bengal Development Department has been designated as the nodal agency to execute the scheme in coordination with various state departments and the Tea Board of India.
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The implementation plan was finalised at a meeting of the State Level Committee chaired by West Bengal Chief Secretary Manoj Agarwal on July 4.
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The meeting was attended by senior officials, including the Additional Chief Secretary of the Finance Department, the Principal Secretary of the Health and Family Welfare Department, the Secretaries of the Backward Classes Welfare, Women and Child Development and North Bengal Development Departments, and the Project Director of Paschim Banga Samagra Siksha Mission.
The Secretary of the North Bengal Development Department R Vimala briefed the committee on the framework of the scheme and the preparations undertaken for its rollout. It was informed that a coordination meeting involving the Tea Board of India, district magistrates, Members of Parliament and Members of the Legislative Assembly from Darjeeling, Kalimpong, Jalpaiguri, Alipurduar, Cooch Behar and Uttar Dinajpur had already been held on July 2 to facilitate smooth implementation.
“The West Bengal Government has finalised the implementation plan for the Pradhan Mantri Cha Shramik Protsahan Yojana with a total financial allocation of Rs 313.30 crore. This scheme will bring transformative changes in the lives of our tea workers and their families,” Darjeeling MP Raju Bista said welcoming the development.
The committee has approved a component-wise allocation of Rs 177 crore for the Cha Shramik Shiksha Yojana, Rs 72 crore for Cha Shramik Swasthya Suraksha Yojana, Rs 63 crore for Cha Shramik Aashray Yojana, and Rs 1.30 crore for coordination, evaluation and communication through the Tea Board Project Management Unit.
Detailed action plans prepared by the School Education and Health and Family Welfare Departments were discussed. Under the education component, proposals around infrastructure and educational interventions in tea garden areas were reviewed. Similarly, proposals worth Rs 72 crore for strengthening healthcare infrastructure and services under the health component were also examined.
For the housing and welfare component, the committee considered proposals for constructing 321 resting sheds—88 in the hills and 233 in the plains. The North Bengal Development Department has prepared standard designs with an estimated cost of Rs 21.09 lakh per unit in the hills and Rs 19.11 lakh per unit in the plains.
The facilities will include toilets, drinking water, lighting, fans powered by rooftop solar systems, feeding rooms, seating arrangements and water supply infrastructure suited to both hill and plain areas.
After detailed deliberations, the committee decided that the North Bengal Development Department will establish a Project Management Unit in consultation with the Tea Board of India and serve as the executing agency for the infrastructure components of all three major schemes.
It will coordinate with Paschim Banga Samagra Siksha Mission for education projects and the Health and Family Welfare Department for healthcare infrastructure and services.
The committee also approved the designs and cost estimates for the resting sheds and decided that all implementing agencies would work in close coordination with the North Bengal Development Department and the district administrations for smooth execution of the projects.
The implementation proposals under all three components have now been recommended for consideration by the Steering Committee headed by the Secretary, Department of Commerce, Government of India, through the Tea Board of India, paving the way for the formal rollout of the ambitious welfare programme for tea garden workers across North Bengal.
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