Union Rural Development Minister Birender Singh has stressed the need for strengthening the economic structure of the villages in a manner to infuse confidence among the villagers with regard to their future prospects.
Sansad Adarsh Gram Yojna's (SAGY) main objective should be stimulating economic activities in the rural areas. No villager should feel the need to migrate. The village men should be confident to not only earn their livelihood in their villages but also to make economic progress, Singh said, while inaugurating a two-day national workshop on the SAGY, which completes its first year of launch on October 11, here on Wednesday.
He said the workshop aimed at informing and incorporating best practices in rural development under the scheme. For the purpose, applications were invited from Central ministries, panchayati raj institutions, civil society organisations, non-government organisations and other institutes, he informed. Out of 592 applications received, 31 initiatives would be showcased during the workshop.
Singh pointed out that availability of basic amenities and certain infrastructure such as round-the-clock electricity and drinking water, adequate street lighting, proper drainage, waste recycling, good education and health facilities and good administrative practices are naturally imbibed in the concept of model village.
For an ideal village, another important aspect is the feeling of belongingness among the villagers for the village itself as stated by Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan. A harmonious relationship among the village men is necessary for their well-being, he said.
Seeking to allay misconceptions about the scheme's funding, the Union Minister said Prime Minister Narendra Modi had made it clear that convergence of funding through various Central and State Government schemes would enable the implementation. Besides, parliamentarians could use funds from MPlAD (Member of Parliament local Area Development) fund.
Mentioning that 88 per cent of parliamentarians responded to the Prime Minister's call to develop three villages each as model villages by March 2019 under the scheme, he said a village development plan was laid before the work began. He said that the development of 690 villages would be completed by next year and MPs have been asked to intimate the Ministry about the next village they propose to adopt beforehand so that they could complete necessary groundwork.
Chief Minister Chouhan said that India cannot be imagined without villages. Keeping this in view, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has conceptualized Adarsh Gram Yojana. Along with city-like infrastructure, schools, roads, health facilities, hospital, water, power etc, employment opportunities should also be created in the villages.
Earlier, a village used to be a complete unit. He said that sense of attachment with village should be developed under Adarsh Gram Yojana. Spirit should be instilled among villagers that "My Village is My Prestige". It is necessary that every child goes to school, villages are clean, addiction-free, have trees and community participation. In Madhya Pradesh, efforts have been made to fully equip villages through convergence of various rural development schemes. Madhya Pradesh is pioneer in the country in growth rate. Suggestions made at the workshop will be implemented in the State.
Union Social Justice Minister Thawarchand Gehlot, Vidhan Sabha Speaker Sitasaran Sharma, Union Minister of State for Rural Development Sudarshan Bhagat, Panchayats and Rural Development Minister Gopal Bhargava, ACS Rural Development Aruna Sharma, Union Secretary Rural Development Jugal Kishore Mahapatra and others also expressed their views on the occasion.