Chandigarh, Apr 24 (PTI) Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini on Thursday said the Panchayati Raj Institutions are a vital link in democracy that give a new momentum to development.

Addressing the state-level ‘Gram Utthan Samaroh’ to mark National Panchayati Raj Day in Panchkula, Saini said that villages are the “foundation of our culture, tradition, and a self-reliant India”.

Saini also inaugurated 923 development works worth Rs 233 crore and laid the foundation stones for 413 projects worth Rs 135 crore.

“A strong village leads to a strong nation. When panchayats are empowered, democracy thrives. Therefore, it is everyone’s responsibility to ensure the development and self-reliance of our villages,” he said.

During the event, the address of Prime Minister Narendra Modi from Madhubani, Bihar was shown live on TV screens for representatives of Panchayati Raj Institutions who were present.

Addressing the gathering, Saini urged the panchayat representatives to commit themselves to advancing villages on parameters like education, healthcare, sanitation, and women empowerment.

Saini also appealed to panchayat representatives to take a vow to eliminate drug use from their respective villages.

He also transferred Rs 573 crore to 22 Zila Parishads, 142 Panchayat Samitis, and 5,388 Gram Panchayats as their share of stamp duty revenue.

In addition, the chief minister released Rs 18.28 crore for the construction of ‘Mahila Chaupals’ in 511 Gram Panchayats.

He said that Panchayati Raj Institutions are a vital link in democracy that give a new momentum to development.

When the Panchayati Raj system was granted constitutional status, the objective was to empower villages and ensure their development through panchayats, he said.

The chief minister also said that the soul of this nation lies in its villages.

“Villages will play the most crucial role in the journey towards a developed India. Once our villages are developed, the state will progress, and we will surely fulfil Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of ‘Viksit Bharat’ well before 2047,” he said.

During the event, Saini also launched the ‘Mukhyamantri Jagrit Gram Puraskar Yojana’.

Under this scheme, awards will be given to panchayats that demonstrate outstanding performance across various socio-economic parameters such as education, healthcare, sanitation, women empowerment, agricultural productivity, digital connectivity, and sustainable infrastructure.

Based on population criteria, gram panchayats securing the first, second and third positions will receive incentives of Rs 51 lakh, Rs 31 lakh, and Rs 21 lakh, respectively.

The prize money is to be utilized for local development initiatives.

Before his address, the chief minister and others present at the event observed a two-minute silence and paid tributes to the people who lost their lives in the Pahalgam terrorist attack, an official statement said.

Haryana Assembly Speaker Harvinder Kalyan, ministers Krishan Lal Panwar, Mahipal Dhanda, Shyam Singh Rana, Ranbir Gangwa, Krishan Kumar Bedi, Shruti Choudhry, and Deputy Speaker Krishan Middha were also present on the occasion.

Saini said Haryana has had a proud tradition of panchayats since Vedic times, where ‘Panchs’ have been given the status of ‘Panch Parmeshwar’.

‘Panch Parmeshwar’ must work with this spirit to ensure the holistic development of villages, said the chief minister.

He said that 50 per cent of the panchayat representatives present at the programme are women, which is a symbol of women empowerment that will give a new boost to the development of Haryana villages.

The chief minister said that panchayat representatives should work with the resolve that “my village, my panchayat should be the number one in the entire district and the state. Everyone must ensure that not a single child in their village drops out of school and that every child receives the right to education”.

Saini assured that there will be no dearth of funds for development works of panchayats.

He said that the government has established 948 e-libraries, 281 indoor gyms, 453 streetlights, and 349 ‘Mahila (women) Chaupals’ to improve the quality of rural life. Additionally, the ‘phirnis’ (village lanes) of 316 villages have been paved, he said.

To empower elected representatives of Panchayati Raj Institutions, the chief minister also announced the distribution of training kits under the National Gram Swaraj Abhiyan.

Under this campaign, all 71,000 elected representatives across the state will receive refresher training over the course of this year, along with training kits.

Saini urged all representatives to actively participate in the training. As part of the programme, exposure visits will also be organized to enable them to study best rural development models from neighbouring states.

From the event venue itself, Saini disbursed social security pension benefits to 41,591 new beneficiaries across the state under various pension schemes. An amount of Rs 12.59 crore was directly transferred to the bank accounts of these beneficiaries, the statement said. PTI SUN KVK KVK