The state government has asked district magistrates across Bengal to ensure at least 25 per cent of Duare Sarkar camps are set up in remote and inaccessible areas of respective districts during the fifth edition of the programme between November 1 and 30.

With panchayat polls scheduled early next year, this leg of the Duare Sarkar camps will be the last outreach of the state government before the battle for rural Bengal, viewed as a semi-final before the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.

“There is specific stress on addressing the concerns of rural people living in remote and inaccessible areas this time,” said a source.

Although the drive to reach out to remote areas was taken earlier as well, especially during the fourth leg of Duare Sarkar camps in June, the result was not satisfactory, said a source in Nabanna.

“After a survey it was found that many rural people are yet to attend Duare Sarkar camps because of several reasons, including inaccessibility and social factors. That’s why a target has been fixed for every district to ensure all areas are covered,” said a senior state government official.

During a video-conference on Saturday, chief secretary H.K. Dwivedi alerted district magistrates to focus on remote areas and ensure that people turn up at these camps.

“He asked to hold camps in mobile mode if there are no government buildings in an area,” a source said.

Officials said the districts have been asked to identify remote pockets by October last week.

Primarily, officials have been asked to map villages or hamlets in forest, hilly and riverine areas, where marginalised people, including those from Scheduled Tribes and Scheduled Castes, live.

The plan to set up 25 per cent camps in remote areas of each district is pragmatic, said Pravat Kumar Shit, assistant professor of geography at Raja NL Khan Women’s College in Midnapore, referring to his recent research.

According to him, a survey on 120 tribal families of 20 remote villages in Jungle Mahal districts showed only 12 per cent families went to Duare Sarkar camps and received benefits such as Lakshmir Bhandar and old-age pension.

“Many among tribal communities in inaccessible areas are left out of government schemes as no one reached out to them in earlier editions of the camps. We found out that 80 families out of those 120 don’t have bank accounts. The government should reach out to them,” said Shit, who did the research with one of his colleagues, and submitted the findings to the district authorities last week.

In this leg of Duare Sarkar camps, the state government won’t receive applications for 100-days job scheme as there is no signal from the Centre that it would release funds for it. No new work has been taken up under this scheme since April. “The government will help out women to form new self help groups through Duare Sarkar camps. Every district has been asked to form self help groups as much as they can,” said an official.