Punjab Government on Friday announced Rs 10,000 crore development plan for as many as 13,047 villages in the State.
“As per Rural Development Department plan, all villages would see a total facelift in the next four years,” said Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal, after administering oath of office to newly elected 2,731 members of 146 panchayat samitis and 331 members of 22 zila parishads.He said that under the plan, villages will get concrete sub lanes, water and sewerage connectivity, sewerage disposal and solid waste disposal facilities.
“Optimum utilisation of development plan will be ensured and e-tendering of all works including computerisation of village records and accounts will be done,” said Sukhbir. Besides, 13,000 cyber suwidha kiosks will be set up in the villages where 13 services like electricity and water bills, telephone and mobile bills, mobile recharge, lodging complaints about water supply, sewerage and power and any disruption in tubewell water or canal water will be available.
“It is for the first time that toilets are being constructed in all villages,” said the Deputy Chief Minister. lauding the role of Revenue Department for computerisation of land records, Sukhbir said that even Finance Commission and Planning Commission have requested the State Government to provide details of this model for implementation in other States.
Announcing fresh survey to include remaining eligible beneficiaries in the Atta-Daal Scheme, he said that Punjab was the first State to address the problem of food security amid spiraling price rise. Congratulating the newly-elected rural representatives, Sukhbir said that Punjab has set an example before the whole country by successfully and peacefully completing the polls to all the three tiers of Panchayati Raj System.
Sukhbir called upon the grass root rural representatives to become active partners in the progress to percolate the gains of development to the remote villages of the State so that every village of the state could become an engine of growth.He said that now, the electorates have become mature and they are not bothered about anti incumbency factor.
Promising to fulfill all promises made in the manifesto and first Budget of SAD-BJP Government, he said that within two months, the process of fulfilling most of the promises including providing computer tablets to students, cycles to girl students, Rs 30,000 scholarship to meritorious students, Shagun to the poor at the time of marriage, old-age pension would be set in motion.Earlier, the State Rural Development and Panchayats Minister Surjit Singh Rakhra said that within next two years, the SAD-BJP Government would fulfill the promise of providing toilet to every rural household.
He said that for the first time, identity cards have been issued to all newly elected members of zila parishads and block samitis enabling them to have free access to CM Parkash Singh Badal and all Ministers. “Department would also work out similar exercise for all sarpanch,” he added.