Real India lives in villages. This has been the opinion of all nationalist leaders and it is the truth. Gandhiji was the first leader to understand that. The view needs to be understood in its right perspective. If true India is in villages, then villages are the first entities that deserve to be developed and improved. If we want that India should step into modern age and become a developed country, we shall first have to develop our villages. It is true that we have very comprehensive plans and programmes of developing our villages and providing them all facilities needed for modern living. But given the large number of villages and our population size, it will take a long time to reach the target. The good thing is that we are on the right track.
In pursuance of this objective of developing our villages, Prime Minister Modi gave a very constructive idea way back on October 11, 2014 of Sansad Adarsh Gram Yojana (SAGY). He appealed the MPs and MLAs in all States that each one should adopt a village in their respective constituencies for development and modernization. That is good time for him or her to bring a village under the SAGY scheme and look to its development if not in all aspects at least in some major aspects like providing electricity, drinking water, roads and health centres. We have nearly 542 MPs plus Members of Rajya Sabha. If each of them adopts a village, it would mean a great boost to the development of rural India. The Prime Minister had appealed to the MLAs of the states also to adopt a village each.
Obviously, this would not be anything like a magic wand transforming the village overnight. That does not happen. The real purpose is of initiating a process. Once the process begins, it gradually moves on from stage to stage and the message goes around that the villages are being taken care of. The Prime Minister, in all sincerity of purpose, wrote letters to all the chief ministers apprising them of the scheme and entreating them to push it through as it would immensely improve the image of rural India. PMO is concerned about the progress of the scheme. It does not want that the scheme should go without response and necessary action. PMO has asked the State Government to describe what progress has been made in identifying the villages and what action has been taken to implement the scheme called SAGY. Regrettably no MLA from our State has so far responded to the appeal of the Prime Minister. No village has been identified leave alone taking any initiative in their development. This is not a healthy situation. Peoples’ representatives have a heavy burden of responsibility to carry on their shoulders. They are the real advisers to the Government. Once they are elected by their respective constituencies and enter the portals of the legislature, they have to think of the entire State and the country. They are important parts of the social structure. Adopting a village for development gives them enhanced popularity among the people and others should want to emulate their example. If they adopt a village now, they have five years of tenure to be in office. After five years the adopted village will have found much improvement in quality of life and facilities provided to the people. This process will continue, and at the end of the day our villages will assume new shape and culture. It pains us that our elected representatives either in the Parliament or in the Assembly have not shown the zeal and zest that were expected of them to show in the case of adopting a village each. The PMO will insist on implementing the scheme but it is the elected representative at the end of the line who has to implement the scheme. We hope that they will understand the importance of the scheme and waste not a single day in identifying the village and initiating implementation of the SAGY.
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