Bhopal: Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the National Panchayati Raj Day in Rewa, Madhya Pradesh on Monday. He also laid the foundation stone worth around Rs 17,000 crores and dedicated it to the nation.
Addressing the gathering, Prime Minister started his speech by bowing to Maa Vidhyawasini and to the land of bravery. He recalled his visits earlier and the affection of the people here. The Prime Minister noted the virtual presence of more than 30 lacks Panchayat representatives from all over the country and said that it presents a bold picture of Indian democracy. He pointed out that the scope of work for each one present here might be different but everyone works for the common goal of serving the citizens through serving the country. The Prime Minister expressed happiness that the Panchayats are implementing the government’s schemes for Gaaon aur Gareeb – villages and the poor, with full dedication.
Referring to eGramSwaraj and GeM portal for public procurement at the Panchayat level, the Prime Minister said that it will ease the working of the Panchayats. He also mentioned the distribution of 35 lakh SVAMITVA Property Cards and projects worth 17000 crores regarding railways, housing, water and employment for the development of Madhya Pradesh.
In the Amrit Kaal of Independence, the Prime Minister said, every citizen is working towards fulfilling the dream of a developed India with utmost dedication. He highlighted the importance of developing the social system, economy and Panchayati Raj system in the villages of India in order to create a developed nation. He pointed out that the present government is working tirelessly to create a robust system in place and expand its scope, unlike the previous governments that discriminated against the Panchayats. Throwing light on the lack of efforts made by the previous governments before 2014, the Prime Minister informed that the finance commission granted less than 70,000 crores which was a paltry amount when one considers the scale of the country, but after 2014, this grant was increased to more than 2 lakh crores.
He also mentioned that merely 6,000 Panchayat Bhawans were constructed a decade before 2014, whereas the present government constructed more than 30,000 Panchayat Bhawans in the last 8 years. He also informed that less than 70 Gram Panchayats were connected with optical fibre compared to more than 2 lacks Gram Panchayats that got optical fibre connectivity after the present government came to power.
He also noted the lack of faith shown in the existing Panchayati Raj system by the previous governments after India’s independence. Recalling the words of Mahatma Gandhi that ‘India lives in its villages’, the Prime Minister pointed out that the previous regime barely paid any heed to his ideology which resulted in the Panchayati Raj remaining neglected for decades. The Prime Minister said that today, Panchayats are coming up as the life force of India’s development. “Gram Panchayat Vikas Yojana is helping Panchayats to work effectively”, Shri Modi added.
The Prime Minister said that the government is working ceaselessly to bridge the gap between villages and cities. Panchayats are being made smart in this age of the digital revolution. Technology is being harnessed in the projects being undertaken by the Panchayats. The Prime Minister gave the example of Amrit Sarovar where issues like the selection of sites and completion of the project are being done with the help of technology. He said the GeM portal for public procurement at the Panchayat level will make procurement by the Panchayats easy and transparent. Local cottage industry will find a strong avenue for their sales, the Prime Minister said.
The Prime Minister talked about the benefit of technology in the PM Svamitva scheme. He informed that the scheme is changing the scene of property rights in villages and reducing disputes and litigation. The use of drone technology ensures property documents for the people without any discrimination. He informed that work on Property Card is completed in 75 thousand villages of the country. He praised the Madhya Pradesh Government for good work in this direction.
Referring to the indifference to the development of Chhindwara, the Prime Minister blamed the thinking of certain political parties. He said that the ruling parties broke the trust of the rural poor by ignoring the basic needs of the rural areas after Independence.
The Prime Minister emphasized that by discriminating against villages where half of the population of the country resides, the country can not progress. He said after 2014, the rural economy, facilities in villages and the interest of the villages were given the highest priority. He said schemes like Ujjwala, and PM Awas had left a deep impact in villages. He said out of 4.5 crore houses, 3 crore houses of PMAY are in rural areas and that too mostly, in the name of the women.
Highlighting that the cost of every house constructed under PM Awas Yojna is more than 1 lakh, the Prime Minister said that the government has transformed the lives of crores of women from the country by making them ‘Lakhpati Didi’ (millionaires). He informed that more than 4 lakh families have performed Grih Pravesh in pucca houses today and congratulated the sisters who have now become homeowners.
The Prime Minister also touched upon the PM Saubhagya Yojna and informed that out of the 2.5 crore houses that received electricity, most of the houses belonged to the rural areas and the Har Ghar Jal Yojna that resulted in tapped water connections to more than 9 crore rural households. He pointed out that approximately 60 lakh houses in Madhya Pradesh now have tapped water connections compared to 13 lakhs previously.
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