New Delhi: Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee on August 15 announced new initiatives in various fields including a Provision for Urban Amenities in Rural Areas (PURA), setting up of new commissions for disabled persons and nomadic tribes and creation of a Tourism Infrastructure Development Fund.

Aiming to bridge the rural-urban divide and achieving balanced socio-economic development, PURA involves identification of rural clusters with growth potential and creating four types of connectivity for them.

They include road transportation and power connectivity; electronic connectivity in the form of reliable telecom, Internet and IT services; knowledge connectivity in the form of good educational and training institutions and market connectivity that would enable farmers and others to get the best price for their produce.

The government has decided to implement the PURA strategy in 5,000 rural clusters across the country in the next five years, an official statement said, adding priority would be given to North Eastern states, other special category states and backward states identified by the Planning Commission and other agencies.

The Prime Minister's Office will prepare the contours of the PURA strategy in consultation with concerned ministries and state governments. Its implementation will begin through commencement of a fully centrally funded rural connectivity programme in the KBK (Kalahandi, Bolangir and Koraput) districts of Orissa in November, it said.

PTI