PM Narendra Modi’s model panchayat scheme forgotten in home state

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ambitious programme, Sansad Adarsh Gram Yojana (SAGY), received a lukewarm response from the Gujarat government. The empowered committee — comprising the rural development minister, MPs and state government officials — had hardly met for the project since June 15, 2017. Initially, it was decided that the committee will meet once every three months. 

The matter came to light after Congress MLA from Kapadvanj, Kalabhai Dabhi, had raised a question and the state rural development minister reponded to it in the Assembly. 

The MLA wanted to know about the implementation of the scheme in Gujarat, to which a questionnaire was tabled in the house during the Question Hour on Thursday. 

Several MLAs highlighted crises looming the agriculture and rural development departments.

Responding to Dabhi, the minister said no meeting of the committee could not be held as most of them were busy with administrative works. He, however, said the process to call the meeting for the year 2018-19 was underway. The programme was launched by the Prime Minister of India in 2014 on 11 October, the birth anniversary of Jayaprakash Narayan.