Bastar Development Authority (BDA) on Tuesday empowered District Collectors of Bastar Division to sanction development works up to Rs. 1 crore. The authority also decided to send a proposal to the Union Government for taking up Employment Guarantee Scheme in Bastar with an estimated cost of Rs.144.28 Crore.

“The meeting reviewed the implementation of decision taken in the last meeting held on May 29 and allotted funds for the same besides discussing new proposals,”Chief Secretary A K Vijayvargiya said while briefing media persons after the second meeting of the Executive Committee of Bastar Development Authority (BDA) held here on Tuesday . The new proposal would be tabled in the next meeting. Since the authority is working with limited fiscal resources, the proposals related to the Union Government would be sent for its nod.

Vijayvargiya said that the Department of Forests had been asked to complete the process of distributing bamboo to villagers by January 1,2005. A ministerial level committee would be set up to draft a policy for the sale of minor forest produce. The policy would be drafted within a month. Besides this, a high-level team would go on study tour to Andhra Pradesh to note down working of Girijan society regarding collecting of forest produce, its processing and marketing.

To promote plantation of Ratanjot , the officials have been asked to prepare a project by August 31 .The meeting was informed that of the 32 blocks the mobile unit of the Department of Health could start only in seven. The officials were instructed to pace up the work and start the unit in all the blocks in the Bastar Division. The meeting also decided to send a proposal to the Department of Finance for appointing paramedical staff and equipment .The BDA also selected 748 micro mini irrigation projects which would be taken up to increase its potential.