Plan panel approves flood control plan for Majuli

• The Planning Commission has given its investment clearance for a 116-crore rupees flood and erosion control project in Majuli, the world's largest river island, in Assam.
• The scheme is aimed to ensure economic development and social upliflment of the local population after reconstruction of roads and bridges usually destroyed during floods.
• The tribal population, which is about 70 per cent of total population, would be the main beneficiary in terms of economic social development.
• Majuli is the largest fresh water mid-river deltaic island in the world. It is situated in the upper reaches of the river Brahmaputra in Assam.
• The island, with a population of around 1.6 lakh, is a major abode of Assamese Vashnavite culture and also a biodiversty hotspot.