Every village needs to be transformed into a ‘Viksit Gaon’ (developed village) in order to achieve a ‘Viksit Bharat’ (developed India) by 2047, Union Minister of State for Rural Development Pemmasani Chandrasekhar has observed.
Addressing the first meeting of Performance Review Committee of the Rural Development Ministry here, the minister said a ‘Viksit Gaon’ is where every family has a ‘pucca’ house with basic amenities, it’s connected by quality roads, every rural youth has employment opportunities and every woman empowered and financially independent.
He, according to an official release, also said that it is not a distant dream but an achievable reality.
It requires us to work with renewed energy, innovative thinking, and deep commitment, the minister said, while emphasizing the role of the Rural Development Ministry in achieving the goal.
“We are not just implementing the schemes, but writing the next chapter of India’s growth story. Under the visionary leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Cabinet Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, we have made remarkable progress in rural development,” the Minister added.
Elaborating on the achievements of various schemes of the ministry, Chandrasekhar said that Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) is acting as a strongest weapon against rural unemployment and distress migration especially during agricultural lean seasons.
Referring to the Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana – Gramin (PMAY-G), the minister informed that since its launch, more than 3.22 crore pucca houses have been built for rural families living in kutcha or dilapidated homes, and a target of constructing 2 crore additional houses by 2029 has been set to meet the rising demand due to family growth and rural population expansion, the release said.
The minister also suggested enhanced usage of eco-friendly and region-specific construction technologies and cost-effective housing designs to build the new house for the people living in villages.
Stating that over 7.56 lakh kilometres of rural roads have been constructed till date under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY), he suggested establishment of state-level road maintenance funds, implementation of community-based monitoring systems and developing innovative financing models for sustainability.
Among others, Kamlesh Paswan, Union Minister of State for Rural Development, Shailesh Kumar Singh, Secretary, Rural Development, and other senior officers were present on the occasion.