Govt to hold workshop for framing rural development roadmap

The Government plans to frame a roadmap for rural development after discussions with representatives from villages, non-government organisations and others at a workshop here, Union Rural Development Minister Narendra Singh Tomar told reporters today.

The two-day workshop, which starts on October 10, will be organised by the ministry to commemorate the birth centenary of Jan Sangh leader Nanaji Deshmukh, Tomar added.

The ministry has invited hundreds of village-level workers, NGOs, officials and people's representatives for in- depth discussions and an exchange of ideas on various aspects of rural development, he said.

"Taking a leaf out of (Sangh leader) Deshmukh's book, the government is organising discussions so that the experiences of various people working at the rural level can help it frame the roadmap for rural development," Tomar said.
 

The centenary programme will culminate on October 11, the birth anniversary of Deshmukh, when over 11,000 people are expected to attend a public function.

The Ministry has invited Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the event.

Announcing the programme, Tomar said Deshmukh had proved that if any work was done with a feeling of nationalism, success was certain.

"Nanaji wanted the benefit of all facilities to reach the grassroot levels, and that is the main idea behind organising this two-day programme," he said.

Talking about his ministry, Tomar said there had been a steep hike in its budget and allocation for all its flagship schemes had gone up considerably.

"The budget of the ministry in 2012-13 was Rs 50,161 crore (0.50 per cent of GDP) but in 2016-17, it had increased to Rs 95,096 crore, or 0.63 per cent of GDP," he said.

The minister also announced the 'Gram Samridhi Evam Swachhta' drive, a nation-wide rural development and cleanliness campaign from October 1 to 15. The programme is aimed at promoting cleanliness and generating community interaction in economic and development activities.