Kolkata, Aug 17 (IANS) West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on Monday promised to ensure the gradual return of migrant workers to the state by generating jobs and facilitating major industrial investments.

Adhikari attended the foundation stone laying ceremony of a Rs 4,000 crore Greenfield integrated steel plant at Raghunathpur in tribal‑dominated Purulia district.

“I assure the migrant workers from West Bengal of the opportunity to come back to the state. There will be no lack of employment scope. We have big industrialisation plans. The steel plant at Raghunathpur will provide direct and indirect employment to around 10,000 people. Local tribal youth in the area will get jobs. There will be overall development of the area,” the Chief Minister said.

This is the second steel plant in the state, and Adhikari laid its foundation stone last month. Recently, a Rs 15,000 crore integrated steel plant was inaugurated in Mejia, Bankura district.

On Monday, Adhikari also inaugurated a piped drinking water project funded by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) in Manbazar, Purulia. He announced that the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) would shortly begin arranging mid‑day meals at all state‑run schools in Purulia district.

“Besides the ISKCON‑arranged meal, the students in the state‑run schools will also be served eggs twice a week, as is happening in Kolkata. Like in Kolkata, the women associated with the mid‑day meal cooking process will not lose their jobs,” he assured.

The Chief Minister further announced that from this year, there will be a state holiday in the tribal‑dominated districts of Bankura and Purulia on the occasion of Goddess Manasa, considering the widespread worship of the Hindu Goddess of snakes among tribal communities.

He also said the administration would organise public welfare camps to facilitate applications for allowances such as widow allowance, old age allowance and allowance for specially abled persons.

“Such services were often out of reach of many in the previous public welfare camps run by the previous state government. Henceforth, such camps will be organised at easily accessible places,” Adhikari said.

–IANS

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