HT Correspondent
TEZPUR, May 4: Sonitpur district commissioner Deba Kumar Mishra has launched the Support for Marginalized Individuals for Livelihood and Enterprises (SMILE) project during a programme held at the conference hall of the DC office in Tezpur.
The first co-ordination meeting of the project SMILE, a central government project under the Union ministry of social justice and empowerment in collaboration with Sonitpur district administration was held on the occasion on Saturday.
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Additional district commissioner, Kabita Kakati Konwar highlighted the objective of the project and the roadmap that the Sonitpur district administration has prepared to implement the project. She also explained that comprehensive rehabilitation of persons engaged in the act of begging shall be undertaken under this project.
Echoing the same, assistant commissioner, Dibangana Mohan gave a brief presentation on the status of the project in the district. Meanwhile, secretary of the NGO, Brahmaputra Environment Conservation and Community Management Group, which will be the agency to implement the project, explained in detail about the preliminary works.
“After a survey around 554 beggars have already been identified till date. The Tamulijan LP School situated at Gotonga will operate as a 50-bedded shelter home for the rescued beggars, where they will be initially kept for 20 days. Here they will be provided with facilities for health check-up and other age appropriate rehabilitation, apart from training on skill development as per age, capacity and eligibility,” said the secretary of Brahmaputra Environment Conservation and Community Management Group.
The Sonitpur district commissioner asked all concerned to work sincerely towards achieving the objective of the project and to ensure that no person engaged in begging is left behind from being covered by this project. He reiterated the importance of proper identification of begging hotspots and those engaged in begging as the primary step in making this project a success in the district.
The meeting was attended by additional SP (crime) of Sonitpur Moushumi Kalita, executive officers of municipal boards of Tezpur, Dhekiajuli, Rangapara and Jamugurihat, project manager of SMILE Sonitpur, superintendent of Snehabandhan Children Home along with other officials and representatives of various NGOs.
