Agena James E.
Department of Political Science
Ebonyi State University, Abakaliki.
ABSTRACT
Poverty is said to be a global phenomenon. However, an in-depth subject here in Nigeria clearly reveals its alarming growth rate and the heavy impact it had already created among the populace. Ti fundamentally intends to look at the phenomenon of poverty in Nigeria the various efforts by government to address the subject. The p. consequently, appraising the activities of the Ebonyi State Community poverty Reduction Agency with a view to ascertaining their fight against poverty in Ebonyi State. The paper will in line philosophy behind the creation of the agency suggest areas the ag venture into it really, if rural poverty is to be reduced and all recommendations to government on the best and holistic approach to the issue of poverty reduction.
INTRODUCTION
Poverty has become a very topical issue in Nigeria economic development. There is hardly any discussion about Ni; her over all development that poverty does not top the chart of issue discussed. The level of poverty in Nigeria becomes more worrisome one realizes that over seventy percent of the country’s over one hundred and forty million people reside in the rural areas in poverty stricken cc This situation has made rural – urban migration a major facts of Nigerian state as most youths have no choice short of going to the search for non-existing white collar jobs, a development correspondingly increased crime rate in the country.
It is however, noteworthy to state that the phenomenon o had been in existence right from the evolution of the Nigeria Statistics point to the realities that during the 70s and early 80s the poverty level in Nigeria stood at 27 percent but the level rose astronomically to 46% by 1996 when most countries of the world have conquered the pandemic (Federal Office of Statistics Report, 1999).
Be that as it may, a lot of factors accounts for this unacceptable rise in the poverty level among Nigerians. One factor that stands clearly for this ugly situation is the deliberate, continuous and comprehensive mismanagement of the nation’s resources due ‘ principally to dearth of honest and credible political leaders with interest in the development of the Nigerian state. Secondly, the long years of military interregnum in the political leadership of the country is another notable contributory factor to the poverty situation in Nigeria. Thirdly and most important is the corrupt nature of Nigerians and excessive corruption among political leaders.
Another reason that can be adduced for the ever presence of poverty in Nigeria is the abandonment of agriculture as a result of the discovery of oil in Nigeria.
Successive regimes in the country have over the years tried to bring out programmes to address this ugly situation. For instance, the Shehu Shagari administration (1979-83) introduced the “green revolution which was a policy of government aimed at encouraging ‘ Nigerians to go back to the farm as a way of reducing poverty. The Babangida administration (1985-1993) believed that the only way to reduce poverty in Nigeria was aggressive development of the rural areas and to achieve this feat, he created the Directorate for Food, Roads and Rural Infrastructure (DFRRI). The late Abacha came up with the Family Support Programme. These laudable programmes were mere cosmetics that rather than address the impact of poverty in the country only helped in increasing its level.
When the Obasanjo’s administration came on board in May 29, 1999, the government was not too comfortable with the poverty situation in the country and therefore decided to engage the problem head-on through the establishment of the Poverty Alleviation Programme (PAP) in year 2000.
Government’s high expectations of using the Poverty Alleviation Programme as a platform to address the issue of poverty in Nigeria could not be realized. The programme was consequently re-organized and given another name, Poverty Eradications Programmes. These programmes were mere smokescreen as even the rural poor who are mostly affected by poverty arc unaware of the existence of these programmes talk more of participating in them.
The inability of these two agencies to address the problem of poverty in Nigeria did not deter government in the fight against poverty. In that light, government viewed that since majority of the poor reside in the rural areas in Nigeria, it is reasonable that a community based poverty reduction approach will provide the much needed panacea to the ugly situation. This led to the setting up of a presidential panel to streamline all the poverty related programmes/agencies of government. That led to the production of a poverty reduction strategy document “Community Action Programme for Poverty Alleviation (CAPPA).
It was in response to the federal government’s program about poverty reduction and its community based approach that the Ebonyi State Community Based Poverty Reduction Agency (EBCPRA) was established in 2005 to help fight rural poverty.
CONCEPTUAL DEFINITION
The phenomenon of poverty like other concepts in the sciences presents difficulty in pinning it to a universally ac definition. The nature of poverty equally presents another dimensions to its elucidation. The definition of poverty can be approached from ideological point of view and looked at within the context of different countries perception poverty is all about.
Be that as it may, in most instances the subject matter of p conceptualized in line with the standard of living of a given some specific period. It is believed that people live in poverty when there is not sufficient to cater for their various needs and that of their in family. When an individual has limited or insufficient food, poor lives in crowded and dirty shelter, cannot afford good education medical care and recreation, such an individual is said to be poor.
In his definition, Ezeanyika (1999) sees poverty as the absence or lack of basic entitlements. These entitlements include: economic, and socio-cultural. An assessment of each entitlement will assist us a reasonable answer. But first, it is important to note that poverty i from the lack or absence of financial, human and physical necessity creating a suitable environment for sustainable living standard, and the disparities and inequalities in access to, control of, and benefit economic social and political resources available to a country.
Chambers (1995) defined poverty as a subset of the general condition of deprivation whose dimension includes social inferiority, isolation, physical weakness, vulnerability, powerlessness and humiliation.
Ravallion and Bidani (1994) see poverty as lack of comma basic consumption leading to insufficient food, clothing and shelter, are counted poor when their measured standard of living is b minimum acceptable level. It was on these lines that Harry Johnson defined poverty as existing when the resources of families or individual inadequate to provide a socially acceptable standard of living.
The World Bank Development Report described poverty inability to attain a minimum standard of living. The report constructed two indices based on a minimum level of consumption in order to show the practical aspects of the concept. While the first index was a country’s specific line, the second was global, allowing cross-country comparisons.
In purely economic terms poverty can be conceptualized as a situation of people living below a specific minimum level of “income”, an imaginary poverty line that recognizes neither national boundaries nor levels of national per capital income (Todarol985). Because poverty affects many aspects of the human condition including physical, moral and psychological, a concise and universally accepted definition is difficult to achieve.
Most analysis follows the conventional view of poverty as a result of insufficient income for securing basic goods and services. The concern here is with the individual’s ability to subsist and to reproduce himself as well as the individual’s ability to command resources to achieve this. This involves a transition from a situation where subsistence depends upon wages, used in purchasing foods. Others view poverty as a function of education, health, life expectancy, and child mortality e.t.c.
Majority of the people in our society today are living in state of destitution while the remaining relatively insignificant minorities are wallowing in affluence. These skewed economic relations do not reflect the geographical spread of resources endowment rather they are a product of classic greed injustice and selfishness which are beyond any economic principle. It is true that where one comes from can also be a strong determinant of one’s economic status, since place of origin can provide different opportunities and constraints. For example, access to education, health care, markets, electricity, and portable water and fuel depends very much on physical location. Accordingly, People are counted poor when terms of income or consumption are below poverty line. Thus, poverty line is a measure that separates the poor from the non-poor.
Essentially, it is not difficult to recognize the poor. They are those who are unable to obtain an adequate income, find a stable job, own property, or maintain healthy living conditions. They also lack adequate level of education and cannot satisfy their basic health needs (Sancho, 1996). The poor are often illiterates, in poor health, and have a short life span. (World Bank, 1995). Very often, the poor lacks the capacity to escape from their situation by themselves. They are that part of the population that is unable to meet basic nutritional needs.
It has been observed that those most affected by extreme poverty are the young children, pregnant mothers, the elderly, the inhabitants of rural areas and the marginal urban zones, and those groups of people who have not been fully integrated into the society especially certain ethnic groups who find themselves segregated in their own societies.
Among the group most affected by extreme poverty are those who are most vulnerable and lack resources, along with those who do the capacity neither to organize themselves nor to exercise the right to protect situation (Sancho, 1996:1)
The poor people in Nigeria live in areas served by bad n inaccessible roads, hence, invariably they lack access to productive as well as output markets. They have small farms, use crude inputs and grow mainly food crops for their own consumption. In Nigeria, the poor are subjected to depression, degradation and deprivation. Children distended tummies and spindly legs are all common sight; these children, their siblings and their parents are often oblivious of better milieus.
Poor households face food insecurity before harvest time i limited to starch -based diets, stale food and left over. They have it linkage with influential people or to urban opportunities and limited to savings and credits. The chronic poor do not have adequate shelter only one or two sets of clothing worn at all times, and do extensive pi work cither on the farms or in their occupations.
Children in poor households cannot afford school uniform and/or transport cost and they do such jobs as firewood gathering and sale, to rake stones in quarry sites, house helps to the rich and hawking, get the poor are tattered in appearance.
In conclusion, poor people live without fundamental free action and choices that the better off take for granted. They often adequate food and shelter, education and health, deprivations that keep them from leading the kind of life that everyone values. They also face extreme vulnerability disasters. And they are often exposed to ill treatment by institutions of the state and society and are powerless to influence decisions affecting their lives.
TYPESOFPOVERTY
Basically, two types of poverty exist:
(A) Absolute Poverty
(B) Relative Poverty
ABSOLUTE POVERTY
A household, a community, a state, or a nation is said to suffer or be afflicted with absolute poverty, when that house hold, that state or that country does not enjoy the basic entitlements – econ political and socio-cultural. There is lack of minimum requirements of a person or a household for existence, and it is so ex that those affected are no longer in a position to lead a life worthy of h dignity. Schubert (1994) refers to absolute poverty exclusively in situation of particular individuals without any comparison being between them and others. It exists when the lives of those concerned are impaired by physical or socio – cultural deficiency. Such an absolute classification requires defining a minimum or basic datum level below which an individual or household can be considered to be in condition of poverty,
RELATIVE POVERTY
Relative poverty also known as disproportionate poverty occurs when a person, household, a community, a state, or a country enjoys some but not all the basic entitlements. Relative Poverty, therefore does not necessary mean that persons concerned cannot lead a life that worthy of human dignity. It merely states that, because of the distribution structures in a society, certain economic subjects are disadvantaged to an unacceptable extent. Thus relative poverty exists when the subjects under consideration are “poor” in relation to others who need to be more closely specified.
Relative poverty is measured in terms of judgments reached by comparing the economic conditions of those at the lowest wrong of societies. Thus, poverty is determined by what is the generally accepted standard of living in any society. Consequently, what are regarded as poverty in America may not be poverty in Nigeria, and many other African countries.
MEASURING POVERTY
A common method used to measure poverty is based on incomes or consumption levels. A person is considered poor if his or her consumption of income level falls below some minimum level necessary to meet basic needs. This minimum level is usually called the POVERTY LINE. What is necessary to satisfy basic needs varies across time and societies. Therefore, poverty line varies in time and place, and each country uses lines that are appropriate to its level of development in societal norms and values.
Information on consumption and income is obtained through sample surveys with which households are asked to answer detailed questions on their spending habits and sources of income. Such surveys are conducted more or less regularly in most countries. These sample survey data collection methods are increasingly being complemented by surveys available. In sub-Sahara Africa, the region in which Nigeria is located, the GDP per capital shrank 14 percent, poverty rose from 14 percent in 1981 to 46 percent in 2001 and an additional 150 million people were living in extreme poverty (World Development Indicators, 2004).
POVERTY IN EBONYI STATE
Poverty in Ebonyi State is a pervasive phenomenon characterized by low levels of income and social deprivation. It is the state’s deadliest disease. The Federal Office of Statistics reports that 52.6% of Ebonyians are poor. The indicators for social sectors development are unfavourable for Ebonyi State in general and worse for the poor. Indicators of poverty are very much in evidence everywhere in Ebonyi State. Poverty manifests in worsening incidence and severity despite the vast human and natural resources and the economic development potential the state is endowed with.
A direct effect of poverty can be seen in the virtual collapse of basic infrastructure and social amenities such as roads, health, educational institutions, water supply and other social services. Overt poverty shows up among the under nourished population, particularly the vulnerable groups, most of them children and women. Unemployment is very acute particularly in the rural areas where approximately seventy percent 70% of the population lives.
In the United Nations Development Programme, UNDP (2002), Human Development Report, Enugu/Ebonyi ranked low (0.466) on the Human Development Index (HDI), a combined measure of longevity (Physical Health), knowledge (education) and income (purchasing power). The reason for this low expectancy at birth is estimated to below 59.2 years for male and 60.7 years for female. Mortality rate for children under 5 is 191 per 1000 life. This means that one-third (1/3) of the states’ population are still without safe water and sanitation. Approximately half of the population of rural dwellers obtains water from shallow wells and contaminated water from rivers. A good percentage of the populations are illiterate. In social amenities, Ebonyi State is one of the states in Nigeria without the 132 KVA electric transformer which is necessary to enhance rapid industrialization.
The story is not different in the health sector. Health facilities where available are ill equipped resulting in poor health care services. There is also a resurgence of diseases especially the preventable one like malaria, tuberculosis, STD/HIV/AIDS, guinea worm, hypertension, diabetes mellitus etc. All these are compounded by poor nutrition and high fertility rate of 7.0
Increase in school enrolment in the state as a result of the free/compulsory primary and secondary education is becoming a source for concern. The state would require several millions of naira to ensure a thorough renovation of the primary and secondary schools, most of which have remained in a state of dilapidation since after the end of the civil war. Most of these schools are housed in sub-standard facilities, which provide an unconducive physical environment for teaching and learning.
Above picture clearly depicts Ebonyi State as one of the poorest state in Nigeria. Poverty, hunger and malnutrition exist on such a large scale that they defy political, economic and social efforts to eliminate them. It is against this background that Ebonyi State was selected by the Federal Ministry of Finance and the National Planning Commission as one of the six (6) pilot state in Nigeria for the Community Based Poverty Reduction Project (CPRP)
IMPACT OF POVERTY
Studies directed at explaining the multi dimension and multifarious ramification of poverty abound (Addison and Demery, 1985, Atkinson, 1989; Schiller, 2002; Sen 1999; Harrison and Huntington 2000). Poverty destroys aspirations, hope, and happiness. In Nigeria, as in other poverty -stricken nations, this is the poverty one can feel. Poverty affects tolerance of others, support of civil liberties and openness towards foreigners, it also affects ones disposition to participate in community activities, inter personal trust and self-satisfaction (Amoo, 1997; Hugle hart, 1997; fair backs, 2000; 271).
It has been noted that deprivation of basic entitlements can be reflected on premature mortality, significant under nourishment (especially on children), persistent morbidity and illiteracy among other problems. Life expectancy and literacy are correlated with the productivity and prosperity of a nation. As it relates to Nigeria, Ebonyi State in particular, Poverty has led to human trafficking, prostitution and its concomitant spread of HIV/AIDS, child labour and abuse of human and civil rights. In addition, poverty leads to corruption, disruption of family relations and social life, causes rising crime rate, among other vices.
Sen. (1999:87) argues persuasively that an individual’s advantage (or otherwise) in a society should not be judged solely on his or her income. Poverty must be measured in terms of substantive freedoms he or she enjoys to lead the kind of life he or she has reason to value. Therefore, poverty is a deprivation of basic capabilities such as under nourishment and illiteracy, rather than merely as lowness of income, which is the standard criterion of identification of poverty. He adds that the capability poverty perspective does not involve any denial of the fact that low income is clearly one of the major causes of poverty since lack of income can be a principal reason for a person’s capability deprivation. He emphasizes that poverty as capability inadequacy and lowness of income are such an important means to capabilities. And since enhanced “capabilities” would tend to expand a person’s ability to be more productive and earn a higher income, it is also normal for people to expect connection going from capability improvement to greater earning power (San, 1999; 90)
The role of productivity in determining living standard is important for nations as it is for individuals. A nation can enjoy a higher standard of living if it can produce a large quantity of goods and services for national consumption. The productivity of a society is determined by many factors, which include physical capital, human capital, natural resources, and technological knowledge. The havoc caused by inept leadership is equally among the major determinants of a nation’s productivity. The factors complement each other. A country will remain absolutely poor, inspite of her resources, if her leaders cannot create institutional frame work capable of organizing the resources at their disposal for efficient and effective management of the productive sector. Given the fore going, poverty is definitely degrading to mankind, and the life of the person afflicted by it comparatively miserable and brief. Thus grave threat to the future stability of our society lies in the masses beset by absolute poverty. Consequently, poverty, destitution, indigence and scarcity are words that show images of Ebonyi’s malaise.
POVERTY REDUCTION
This work is not about poverty per se, but rather about poverty reduction. This being the case, we will define poverty reduction. Repink (1994) expressed poverty as, first, the inability to satisfy basic needs of human life due to the lack of income or property; second, lack of opportunity to generate income or property; and third lack of means to change the situation. In this context, poverty reduction means the creation of general conditions which allow man to live in dignity, where people are free to take their own decision’s in life and where the poor participate in social, political and economic decision making.
The initial effort focusing attention on poverty reduction was through the basic needs approach developed in the 1970s and supported by the World Bank. It emphasized increases income for significant attainment of the requirements for a permanent reduction in poverty, such as improvement in health, education, better and affordable shelter and regular access to nutritional foods.
Three arguments were advanced to support this view. The first of all was that most of those who are poor are not producers themselves and this group of people from the dependent population. Secondly, there is no guarantee that an increased income would be spent on essential services. In other words, better medical care, safe drinking water or better or better housing may not be available. In such situation, people may be better off nominally but worse off on the basis for any permanent improvement. Lastly, the ability of households to spend wisely and affectively vary. Certain households may irrationally prefer consumption goods that contribute less welfare to other goods that could act as inputs for higher productivity. (Fishlow 1995).
On the other hand, vast section of the population may experience food shortages, not because they cannot afford to buy it or they are not entitled to it (Thirwall, 1994). This could lead to malnutrition caused by the lack of access to food which does not only depend on the availability of food but also on people’s entitlement to food. To understand poverty and starvation or the malnutrition associated with it, it is necessary to understand both ownership patterns and exchange entitlement which in turn requires an understanding of modes of production and class structures.
Poverty in Nigeria and Ebonyi State in particular could be explained by the combining factors of inadequate food supply and limited entitlement to food. Since independence, the Nigerian policy makers have always conceive poverty as by-product of stagnation; and decline in economic growth as a mechanism through which problem of poverty can be reduced. This also defines the context with which the Structural Adjustment Programme was conceived and introduced. The World Bank (1990) recommended a two-pronged approach to poverty reduction which are:- the promotion of economic growth and special programme to increase human capital formations and provide safety nets.
OVERVIEW OF THE EBONYI STATE COMMUNITY BASED POVERTY REDUCTION AGENCY.
The Ebonyi State Community Based Poverty Reduction Agency (EB-CPRA) was established as an autonomous body without undue interference and bureaucracy with the mandate of improving the socio-economic conditions of the population at the grass root level. The EB -CPRA will ensure that the rural population receives a representation share of its support at least 80% of funding will go to rural areas. The allocation of the remaining project fund will depend on the demand and other pertinent factors. The EB-CPRA docs not itself identify projects but selects from among these proposed by beneficiary communities through their respective community association, composed of selected representatives of each community including representatives of women, youths and the disabled.
The EB-CPRA established on the 23rd of August 2005, has its management office in Abakaliki and co-ordinates its activities with the assistance of the Community Development Department in thirteen (13) local governments areas of Ebonyi State and other relevant line ministries. The management office is divided into four (4) units:-Administration/Secretariat, finance and accounts.
ORGANOGRAM OF EB-CPRA
General Manager Administration
Secretariat
1 I | A | r | |
Finance and Accounts | Operations | Internal Audit | |
AIMS AND OBJECTIVES OF THE AGENCY
The aims and objectives of the agency arc to:-
(a) Improve the living conditions of the people in communities and address the demands not satisfied by current social programme in Ebonyi State.
(b) Empower rural communities so that they play a role in reducing poverty in their communities.
(c) Provide small labour intensive economic and social infrastructure and amenities to communities in the state.
(d) Help communities to develop and implement or expand and enhance comprehensive system of Community Based Poverty Reduction Projects.
(e) Help to saturate high poverty communities with a comprehensive array of social services that are capable of mitigating the effects of poverty.
(f) Promote participatory community development through demand driven, labour intensive bottom up approach to poverty reduction agency.
(g) Strengthen the development capacities of the informal sector; Non Governmental Organisations (NGOs), grass root Community Base Organisation (CBOs), local governments and co-operatives
FUNCTIONS OF THE AGENCY
The functions of an agency are to:-
(a) Support policies and utilize effective strategies for the effectiv implementation of projects in beneficiary communities, directed at poverty reduction in Ebonyi State.
(b) Disburse funds provided to its by donors in support of poverty reduction to the beneficiary communities of the state.
(c) Appraise applications received from beneficiary communities or projects against predetermined eligibility criteria as spelt out in the operations manual to determine those projects to support, reject, or defer.
(d) Carryout Public Enlightenment, Advocacy, Awareness and Mobilization of communities toward poverty reduction.
(e) Render advisory services and technical assistance to communities, Nongovernmental Organisations, and Community Based Organisation in project design, planning and management.
(f) Carryout institutional and social needs assessment surveys, trainings, studies, evaluation and capacity building programme aimed at improving and enhancing
the effectiveness and impact of poverty reduction strategies in beneficiary communities.
(g) Supervise and monitor the implementation of poverty reduction projects in the beneficiary communities in Liaison with local governments, communities, NGOs and CBOs.
(h) Liaise with relevant line ministries departments, Local
Governments, donors, research institutions and Community Organization in the implementation of Poverty Reduction Projects in the beneficiary communities.
(i) Ensure accountability, transparency and openness of its projects
involving poverty reduction in the state,
(j) Appraise, finance and supervise projects designed, sponsored and implemented by beneficiary communities.
(k) Liaise with other Poverty Reduction Programmes by the Federal
Government, donor agencies, foreign governments and bodies for harmonization and avoidance of duplicating efforts,
f 1) Liaise with the National Planning Commission to ensure that the
state benefits from other poverty alleviation programmes of the Federal Governments and International Organisations.
EBCPRA AND POVERTY REDUCTION IN EBONY STATE
In line with its mandate of reducing poverty in Ebonyi state through a community based approach, the Ebonyi State Community Based Poverty Reduction agency has embarked on a number of projects in the various communities in the state. The agency has not only assisted to constructing health centers, it is also in the area of provision of classroom blocks, rural roads/bridges construction, drilling of bore-holes, rural electrification, skill acquisition centers etc.
The agency’s policy of making the benefiting communities to not only pay counterpart fund but to select projects of their choice has Contributed to speedy completion of her numerous project across the state. A summary of the agency’s projects across the state in 2006 is shown below.
1 | Ndiagu Ugwuogo Ikwuator Idembia Dev Union | Ezza East | Primary School Classroom Block | |
‘ | Akaeze Ukwu Development Union | Akaeze | Market Stalls | |
3 | Umunnabuike Development Association | Akaeze | Rehabilitation of Rural road and culverts | |
4 | Ndiagu Orle Progressive Union | Ngbo West | Health Centre | |
5 | Ukwuagba Autonomous Community | Ngbo West | Secondary School Classroom Block | |
6 | Ezzainyimagu Community Development Union | Nnodo | Extension of Rural Electrification | |
7 | Concern Women Association | Inyaba | Civic Centre | |
8 | Ohaisu Autonomous Community | Afikpo North | Secondary School Block | |
9 | Umuezeokoha Youth Association | Ezza North | Civic/Skill Centre | |
10 | Umobor Development Union | Akaeze | Secondary School Classroom Block | |
ft | Ndiagu Ogba Development Association | Ngbo West | Primary -School Classroom Block | |
12 | Amaekwu Improvement Union | Ubeyi | Civic Centre | |
13 | Amikpo Community Development Association | Afikpo North | Secondary School Classroom Block | |
14 | Amogu Development Union | Ngbo East | Construction of rural roads/Culverts | |
15 | Ndiagu Ode Development Union | Ngbo East | Primary School Classroom Block | |
16 | St. Patrick’s Welfare Association | Ngbo East | Multi Purpose Hall | |
17 | Nkoroma Youth Association | Ngbo East | Bore-holes | |
18 | Ndiaguorie/Ndiagu Uguru Youths | Ngbo West | Primary School Classroom Block | |
19 | Otuokpeye Amofia Youth Association | Ngbo East | Construction of Roads & Bridges | |
20 | Oshituma Progressive Union | Ngbo West | Health Centre |
Source: EBCPRA2006.
CONCLUSION
The poverty level in Nigeria and Ebonyi State in most particular is to say the least very high. This state of things has been responsible for the many problems of hunger, malnutrition, crime wave, corruption and above all bad leadership. The poverty reduction agencies across the country and mostly that of Ebonyi state have achieved a lot in their quest to reduce poverty through a community based approaches.
RECOMMENDATIONS
Taking cognizance of the nature of poverty and the negative impact it has not only on the country’s international image but also on the psyche of Nigerians, it is recommended that:
a. government increase the funding to the agency.
b. That the agency should do more in the area of monitoring and supervision of her projects across the state.
c. That the agency should encourage communities to embark on large scale farming as this will play a dual role of feeding the populace and generating employment for the youths.
d. That consideration for more benefiting communities be made to cover more parts of the state for equal and even development of the state.
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