When panchayats are empowered, democracy thrives: Haryana CM

Chandigarh, April 24 (IANS) Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini on Thursday said “villages are the foundation of our culture, tradition, and a self-reliant India. A strong village leads to a strong nation. When panchayats are empowered, democracy thrives”.

“Therefore, it is everyone’s responsibility to ensure the development and self-reliance of our villages. Villages play the most crucial role in the journey toward a developed India. Once our villages are developed, the state will progress, and we will surely fulfill Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s dream of Viksit Bharat well before 2047,” he said.

The Chief Minister was addressing the state-level Gram Utthan Samaroh held on the occasion of National Panchayati Raj Day in Panchkula, near here.

Earlier, the Chief Minister and others observed a two-minute silence and paid tribute to those who lost lives in the terrorist attack in Pahalgam in Srinagar on April 22.

During the event, the address of Prime Minister Modi from Madhubani in Bihar was broadcast live for the representatives of Panchayati Raj Institutions who were present.

Addressing the gathering, CM Saini said "the Panchayati Raj Institutions are a vital link in democracy that give a new momentum to development. When the Panchayati Raj system was granted constitutional status, the objective is to empower villages and ensure their development through panchayats”.

He said 50 per cent of the panchayat representatives present at this programme “are women, which is a symbol of women empowerment, an empowerment that will give a new boost to the development of our villages”.

He added this “samaroh is not just an event, but a pledge toward the holistic development of villages”.

The Chief Minister said that everyone in the village should have access to proper healthcare facilities. He urged the representatives to commit themselves to advancing villages on parameters like education, healthcare, sanitation, women empowerment, and overall socio-economic development.

The CM also appealed to panchayat representatives to pledge for a drug-free village. He urged that every representative should take a vow to eliminate drug use from their respective villages.

“If anyone is found consuming drugs or involved in drug trafficking, the information should be reported to the government via the MANAS portal. The identity of the informant will be kept confidential.”

Saini said to make every village self-reliant, the government has connected each village with the Internet. Initiatives like tap water in every home, Har Khet ko Pani, 24-hour electricity under the ‘Mhara Gaon-Jagmag Gaon’ scheme, and health facilities for every individual under the Ayushman Bharat Yojana have been implemented.

The Chief Minister said that some ‘sarpanches’ had informed him that they did not have sufficient funds, and taking swift action on the same he had directed the department officers that panchayats with a total grant of less than Rs 20 lakh should be provided with additional funds as a 'gap fund,' so that each panchayat has at least Rs 21 lakh available.

As a result, Rs 583 crore was directly transferred to panchayat accounts last year, the Chief Minister added.

--IANS

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