Lay down arms: Mamata to youth

Sops for Junglemahal: Schools,health centres,jobs,hike in number of pensions

In her first public meeting in Junglemahal after she took over as West Bengal Chief Minister,Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday asked youths of the area to lay down arms and return to the mainstream.

Without mentioning the word Maoist even once in her speech,Mamata said,If you have to take up arms,take them up for the government and offered Junglemahal youths 10,000 jobs in the National Volunteer Force,police and homeguards.

Dont be afraid of the joint security forces,they will not do any harm if there is no bloodshed and violence in Junglemahal, she said,dropping a hint that the forces will stay on for the time being even if not operational.

Mamata asked the people to find a peaceful resolution to the problems through dialogue. We will not let blood spill here any more. I realise your frustration,but give us a chance for five years. If we dont deliver,you will be free to choose your path, she said.

Reiterating her stand on Maoists,she said,I will ask my brothers to lay down their arms and return to the mainstream. We are designing a special rehabilitation package for them. Some of my brothers have misunderstood us. We still welcome them to the discussion table and we want to hear from them about their demands.

The CM began her meeting by handing over land pattas (land rights) and forest land pattas to a number of tribal families,making it evident that she was pitching for a robust development initiative to counter the Maoists a large number of whom are back in Junglemahal after the polls and well-entrenched in villages.

What followed was a flurry of promises and schemes starting from agriculture pension,old-age pension and scholarships to post-matriculate students of Nayagram and other Junglemahal areas.

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There was a generous allocation of schemes from health centres to education,from updrading schools and colleges to subsidised foodgrains,from stadiums to rail links and tourism projects.

Mamata announced a huge jump in the number of annual old-age pensions from 8,000 to 75,000.

Replicating Nitish Kumars model in Bihar,Mamata offered bicycles to all tribal girl students studying between Classes IX and X1.

She also declared a compensation package for those who were critically injured in police atrocities in Lalgarh in 2008.