Every eligible person will get housing, no one will be deprived: Shivraj Chauhan!

On the second day of the two-day National Rural Development Conference ‘Gramodaya Se Rashtrodaya’ organized at Pusa campus in New Delhi, Union Minister of Agriculture, Farmers Welfare and Rural Development Shivraj Singh Chouhan held an extensive brainstorming session with rural development ministers of 29 states and union territories from across the country.

The conference not only reviewed the plans, but also emerged concrete strategies to implement the vision of ‘Developed Village-Developed India’ under the leadership and guidance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. On this occasion, Shivraj Singh Chouhan said that villages are not just dust and soil or the name of Chaupal, but the power of India, the consciousness of India and the soul of India.

He said that if we want to make a prosperous and developed India, then work will not be possible without making the villages prosperous and developed. Without the progress of villages, progress of the country is not possible.

For the first time, rural development ministers, senior officials and policy makers from 29 states and union territories of the country came together on one platform. Rural development ministers and other senior representatives of the states, including Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya and Chhattisgarh Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Sharma, participated. This was a living example of cooperative federalism, where the focus was on development, rising above political differences.

Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan clearly said that the dream of developed India will be realized only when villages become self-reliant, employable and equipped with basic facilities. Describing villages as the ‘soul, power and consciousness of India’, he said that rural development is the pivot of national development.

Shivraj Singh Chouhan announced that from July 1, ‘Vikas Bharat – Ji Ram Ji’ scheme will be implemented across the country which will replace MNREGA. For this, interim approval of Rs 95,682 crore has been given. He appealed to the states to complete their formalities on time to ensure smooth implementation of the scheme.

‘Lakhpati Didi Dashboard’ was launched at the conference and while inaugurating a digital platform for women of self-help groups, Shivraj Singh said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has set a target of increasing the number of women from 3 crore to 6 crore as Lakhpati Didi, for which a bank linking roadmap of Rs 10 lakh crore has been prepared in the next 5 years.

Shivraj Singh put forward many important points for effective implementation of the schemes. He said that states will have to release their financial share on time. It is necessary to fill the vacant posts related to rural development soon. He said that the work is affected due to frequent transfer of officers, officers should be kept at the same place on responsible posts for at least two-three years, special attention should be paid to publicity and public awareness of schemes and there is a need to strengthen social audit and AI based monitoring.

Reviewing the progress of Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana, Rural Road Scheme and Deendayal Upadhyay Rural Skill Scheme, the Union Minister said that many states have done excellent work while some need improvement. He laid special emphasis on providing land to landless beneficiaries and prompt resolution of pending housing issues.

Referring to the successful models of states like Jharkhand, Bihar, Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh etc. such as multi‑channel marketing, community enterprises and household livelihood loan schemes, he said that these best practices will be shared with all the states so that the good work can be replicated across the country.

He openly admitted that there is still room for improvement in many schemes and procedures and assured that if the states have practical difficulties in any rule or procedure, the Ministry of Rural Development will work with the Cabinet and the Finance Ministry to make appropriate amendments.

The Union Minister appealed to 14 states to remain alert in view of possible less rainfall. He directed to strengthen water conservation structures and prepare for additional employment in rural areas so that any situation can be dealt with effectively.

Shivraj Singh Chauhan said that this is not the time for competition, but for participation. The Center should make the policy, the State should implement it, the Panchayat should lead and the public should participate – with this model the picture and destiny of rural India can be changed.

In the conference, the winners of logo design, quiz and digital content competitions related to ‘VB-Jiramji’ were honored on behalf of Shivraj Singh Chauhan. Books were also released which is a sign of taking forward new ideas and models of rural development.