Bardhaman (WB): West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee today announced a slew of projects, including a housing scheme for five lakh people and a mega Rs 3,000- crore road, for the development of rural Bengal.

Five lakh people of the state would get houses under the the state government's "Bangla Gramin Abas Yojna" on January 29, she said, adding that another three lakh had received assistance for building houses under the "Geetanjali" scheme.

The chief minister said this after inaugurating the "Mati Utsav" (soil festival) here to promote the farm sector. The panchayat polls are scheduled to be held in the state around mid-year.

Banerjee also announced a Rs 3,000-crore north-south corridor project which will pass through Bardhaman district, and a Rs 2,768-crore project to extend the reach of the irrigation facilities to the western districts of the state.

"The farmers are our assets. We have paid a compensation of Rs 1,200 crore to those farmers affected by floods. Around 79 lakh Kisan Credit Cards (KCCs) have also been distributed...the banks have been asked to give more loans against these KCCs," she said.

In the past too, the Trinamool Congress (TMC) government had returned forcibly acquired land to the farmers, Banerjee said, hinting at the Singur land acquisition issue.

Ten camps and 186 "kisan bazaars" were set up by her government for paddy procurement in the state, she added.

The state government had also paid Rs 626 crore as insurance premium for 21 lakh hectares of land, the chief minister said, adding that a textile hub would be coming up at Saktigarh in the district soon and that the work on an NTPC power plant was underway at Katwa.

"Bengal will always hold its head high and will not bow down to anyone," the TMC supremo said, in an apparent reference to the BJP, which is in power at the Centre.

She also directed the state police to reward those teenage girls, who had taken initiatives to stop child marriages in their respective areas.  PTI