Jaipur, October 2. Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has described Panchayati Raj institutions and sarpanches as the fulcrum of the country’s development. He said that the sarpanch is the first point of contact for resolving the problems and addressing the expectations of the villagers. Therefore, the first objective of a sarpanch should be to ensure that the benefits of government schemes reach every person in need. For this, sarpanches should continuously engage in dialogue with the people by reaching out to them in their villages.
The Chief Minister was addressing the Panchayati Raj Representatives’ Interaction Programme at Takshila Auditorium on Friday. He said that the birth anniversary of the Father of the Nation, Mahatma Gandhi, reminds us of the values of truth, non-violence, cleanliness, Gram Swaraj, self-reliance and public participation, which form the foundation of nation-building. The Father of the Nation believed that the soul of India resides in its villages.
Chief Minister shares his experiences
Sharing his experiences from his tenure as a sarpanch, the Chief Minister said that when he got the opportunity to work among the villagers, he undertook several public service initiatives, including ensuring that the benefits of government schemes reached every person in need and organising cataract camps. He said that if our villages are strong, Rajasthan will be strong. If Gram Panchayats function with transparency, accountability and public participation, both the pace and impact of development will increase. He expressed confidence that all Panchayati Raj representatives would discharge their responsibilities with full dedication, energy and a spirit of service.
He said that the double-engine government has worked to give the state a new direction and new momentum in just under three years. Good governance, transparency and public service have been made the hallmarks of governance. Law and order has been strengthened, effective measures have been taken to curb corruption, and development of infrastructure has also been accelerated. He said that, inspired by the Prime Minister’s mantra of ‘Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Prayas’, important decisions have been taken in the interest of farmers, youth, women and the poor.
The Chief Minister said that the State Government has so far made appointments to 1 lakh 93 thousand posts for youth. Recruitment proceedings for 1 lakh 18 thousand posts are underway, while a recruitment calendar has also been issued for 1.25 lakh posts. He said that the State Government is preparing a roadmap for the all-round development of villages through the ‘Mukhyamantri Viksit Gram-Shahari Ward Abhiyaan’. In this direction, Atal Gyan Kendras are being established at every Panchayat. Rural youth will benefit from facilities such as libraries, e-libraries, online coaching and e-Mitra at these Atal Gyan Kendras.
He said that the amount under the Kisan Samman Nidhi has been increased to Rs 9,000 to empower farmers. Under the scheme, more than Rs 14,400 crore has already been provided to more than 76 lakh farmers, and 150 seed banks have also been established. He said that work is progressing rapidly towards the target of providing daytime electricity to farmers across the state by 2027.
The Chief Minister said that a decision has been taken to increase the social security pension amount to Rs 1,450 per month. Under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana–Gramin, 3 lakh 82 thousand houses have been constructed, while construction of 4 lakh 53 thousand houses is underway. He said that around 10,000 kilometres of missing-link roads have been constructed in rural areas. In addition, Rs 813 crore has been sanctioned for 327 Atal Pragati Paths, of which 282 works have been completed.
He said that under the leadership of the Prime Minister, Rajasthan has received four important water projects, including the Ram Jal Setu Link Project for 17 districts of eastern Rajasthan, the Yamuna agreement for Shekhawati, and the Kishau and Narmada projects, which are being taken forward. At the same time, the State Government is working on projects such as Devs, IGNP, Ganganahar, Brahmani River–Bisalpur and Som Kamla Amba–Jawai project. He said that more than 7 lakh activities have been organised under the Vande Ganga Jal Sanrakshan Jan Abhiyan, while around 9,000 recharge shafts have been constructed under the Karmabhoomi Se Matribhoomi Abhiyaan. Similarly, through the Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM), tap water has been provided to more than 15 lakh rural households.
The Chief Minister said that more than 52 thousand Pattas (land lease deeds) have been distributed so far to nomadic, semi-nomadic and denotified homeless families, while more than 15 lakh Swamitva cards have been distributed under the Svamitva Scheme. Under the Swachh Bharat Mission (Gramin), more than 41 thousand villages have been declared ODF Plus Model villages. He said that along with a 10 per cent increase in the honorarium of elected representatives in each of the last three years, 8 new Zila Parishads, 94 new Panchayat Samitis and 3,467 new Gram Panchayats have been created. At the same time, the commitment to ‘One State-One Election’ is also being fulfilled.
He said that the Seva Sankalp Abhiyaan is being organised to mark the completion of 25 years of public service in the public life of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Through programmes such as cleanliness drives, blood donation, medical camps, Aangan Milan, Namo Seva beneficiaries and ‘Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam’, people from different sections of society are being connected with the campaign. He called upon the maximum number of elected representatives to join the campaign and encouraged them to take information about government schemes and policies to villages through Seva-Sankalp Rath.
Chief Minister interacts with Panchayati Raj representatives, honours them with messages of appreciation for outstanding work
During the programme, the Chief Minister honoured Swaroop Choudhary of Devaliya, Mohini Devi of Rundal, Surendra Singh Meena of Boraj, Sarla Kumawat of Asalpur and Rajendra Bunkar of Saiwad by presenting them with letters of appreciation for development works and special achievements in their respective Gram Panchayats.
Ramesh Chand Sharma of Dhaublai, Narayan Lal Jat of Durjaniyawas, and Neetu Meena of Bassi, along with Gaurav Singh of Ludhavai, Divyansh Bhardwaj of Aawa, Pintu Devi Garg of Poshana, Neeru Yadav of Lambi Ahir, Narendra Meena of Ratavad, Dinesh Vaishnav of Olanakheda, and Jagtar Singh Brar of Pilibanga, who joined through video conferencing, also shared their experiences and innovations during their respective tenures as sarpanch with the Chief Minister.
Panchayati Raj Minister Madan Dilawar, Social Justice and Empowerment Minister Avinash Gehlot, Minister of State for Panchayati Raj Otaram Dewasi, MP Manju Sharma, MLAs Kailash Verma, Shatrughan Gautam, Mahendra Pal Meena, and Kuldeep Dhankar, Sarpanch Sangh President Banshidhar Garhwal, along with Panchayati Raj representatives from across the state, were present on the occasion. Representatives from all districts also joined the interaction programme via VC.
