Chief Minister Raman Singh on Saturday chaired a meeting of MP Model Village Scheme and said that he is of the strong view that on the lines of MP Model Village Scheme of the Central Government, an MlA Model Village Scheme should also be conducted in Chhattisgarh.

“All 91 MlAs of Chhatt-isgarh should select one village each from their respective constituencies and develop them as model villages equipped with all the basic facilities. In the model villages selected by MlAs, nine gems for cleanliness campaign will be selected at local level,’’ Singh remarked at the meeting.

He added, “these nine gems will be selected among the local residents and they will play an important role in cleanliness campaign and also in all-round development of the model village,’’.

He stated that these gems will also promote public participation from adjacent villages so that integrated community development of the villages could be ensured. The basic thrust of this initiative is to develop each block of State as a model block.

Official sources said that Singh said in the meeting that the Chhattisgarh Government has already selected nine gems at State-level to widely promote the message of Clean India Drive of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. On the same lines, prominent citizens of model villages, marked under MP Model Village Scheme, should be selected as nine gems.

Chief Minister said that Prime Minister Modi has initiated MP Model Village Scheme to realise the dreams of Mahatma Gandhi and organic farming, micro irrigation, dairy development, food processing, skill improvement and local small and cottage industries will be given preference for socio-economic development of these villages.

In the meeting, Panchayat and Rural Development Minister Ajay Chandrakar, lok Sabha MP lakhan lal Sahu, Abhishek Singh, Vikram Usendi, Chandu-lal Sahu, Dinesh Kashyap, Banshilal Mahto and Kamla Devi Patle, and Rajya Sabha members Ranvijay Pratap Singh Judeo, Bhushanlal Jangade, Chief Secretary Vivek Dhand, Additional Chief Secretary of Finance Department DS Mishra, Panchayat and Rural Develop-ment Department Additional Chief Secretary MK Raut, Parliamentary Works and PWD Principal Secretary Amitabh Jain, secretaries of other departments and Collectors under MP Model Village Scheme were also present.