Jharkhand Chief Minister Raghuvar Das took note of a report that a 85-year-old man was digging a pond all on his own at Gadigram in East Singhbhum district and directed the district officials to make an on the spot visit to probe it.
Following the directive Deputy Collector Sanjay Kumar rushed to the village and apprised the Deputy Development Commissioner Vinod Kumar and Block Development Officer Sachidanand Mahato about the incident, an official in Chief Minister's Office said.
Later, Mahato rushed to the spot and convinced the octogenarian, Atul Singh, in the presence of villagers that he needed not dig the pond at this age and assured the district administration will look into his demand, the official said.
Kumar also visited Singh's place and inquired his son about the benefits they were getting under various government schemes.
He was informed that the administration has already provided them a residential unit under 'Indira Awas Yojana', benefits under 'Social Security pension' and a piece of land.
The report in a local daily which stated that an octogenarian man was digging earth to carve out a pond at Gadigram in Patamda block came notice of the Chief Minister earlier in the day.
Though carving out a pond at the rocky spot was not feasible under Centre-sponsored MANREGA fund, some alternative arrangement would have to be made, the BDO said.
The Deputy Collector assured that he would ask concerned higher officials to set up a borewell and a toilet and asked the Tata Steel's Rural Development Society to dig a pond.
Kumar also proposed to provide six months' skill development training to Singh's younger son at a 'Gurukul' at Dhanchati near here.
