Narendra Modi’s vikas 'yatra', GKMs come to a close

The month-long Vanthambhi Vikas Yatra (Non-stop development yatra) of the state government culminated on September 15, a day that also saw the ending of the latest round of Garib Kalyan melas (GKMs).

The vikas yatra had commenced in mid-August and saw ministers, parliamentary secretaries and other government functionaries traveling to the nook and corner of the state three to four days in a week propagating the state government’s achievements.

According to officials, the yatra covered an estimated 4,200 taluka panchayat seats, with each of the functionaries covering around 70 - 80 events. The yatra was seen by many as a final campaign by Modi government before announcement of elections and implementation of Code of Conduct.

“More than 27,000 works, involving expenditure of a staggering Rs30,000 crore, were inaugurated or started during the yatra,”  said officials.

However, in the first half of the yatra, a host of ministers also had to face citizens’ anger at several places, particularly in Saurashtra, over availability of water and fodder. Such protests, though, abated in the last couple of weeks on account of widespread rainfall in the state.

The state government claims it has distributed benefits worth Rs13,000 crore in around 1,000 GKMs so far.