Jharkhand Chief Minister Raghubar Das on Monday laid the foundation for various projects worth Rs 428 crore in Chaibasa, the district headquarter of mineral-rich West Singhbhum.
While Rs 380 crore would be spent on eight water projects to provide drinking water in the rural belt of the district, the remaining amount would be spent on road construction in rural areas.
Regretting that the people of Chaibasa were forced to drink unsafe water even 70 years after independence, the chief minister said he had promised to provide drinking water through pipelines in each villages of the district.
The foundation of water projects was a step in this direction, he said adding that economy of the rural pockets would improve if the infrastructure including road and electricity was improved.
Director of District Rural Development Agency (DRDA), Amit Kumar said the government has set a target to provide piped drinking water to all the villages of the district by 2022.
The chief minister assured to provide electricity in each villages of the state by December 2018.
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The Detail Project Report of a proposed medical college in Chaibasa was ready and tender would be floated soon to ensure that the work of the 500-bed medical college-cum-hospital start in a month or two, he said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi had laid the foundation of two medical college and hospital including the one in Koderma during his visit to the state last month.
Besides, the government has also decided to establish a school in Khuntipani block of West Singhbhum district on the lines of famous Netarhat school of Latehar district.
Prior to the foundation stone laying ceremony, Das also inaugurated a "Jubilee Park" surrounding a lake, which was renovated and developed by Tata Steel for Rs 10 crore in the township.
Addressing the gathering on the occasion, Das hailed Tata Steels role in making a difference to the lives of people living in and around its operational areas.
Referring to the new projects, Das said a majority of them will be on water and road construction worth Rs 427.92 crore which was being spent from the District Mineral Fund.
"During my first visit to Chaibasa after becoming the chief minister of the state, I had promised the people here to change the face and fate of the township and the inauguration of the park was fulfilment of my commitment," Das said.