Union Minister Jitendra Singh today urged representatives of the Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) to carry Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s welfare schemes to the last mile.
Presiding over a meeting of PRI representatives from Amroha District in Uttar Pradesh, he said they could be the most important messengers of the PM’s ”people-centric initiatives and programmes” as they were directly in touch with the people at the grassroot level. He said panchayats were continuously being empowered under Modi.
The Minister further pointed out that the PRIs being elected representatives, knew who was the most needy among the lowest strata of the society and could ensure that the benefits reach them without any vote bank consideration.
Dr Jitendra Singh quoted the PM as saying, “The country has made this resolve to cover 100 per cent of the beneficiaries. When there is 100 per cent coverage of schemes, the appeasement politics comes to an end. There remains no space for it”.
He emphasised that the PM symbolised grassroot level democracy as he himself has risen from the grassroots. The PM has always insisted on the strengthening of PRIs and decentralising powers with the efficient utilisation of the central funds at the discretion of the PRI representatives.
The Minister further added that the PM’s faith in PRIs and the grassroots level democracy was evident from the fact that due to his intervention, Jammu and Kashmir district development council (DDC) elections were held for the first time after 70 years.
He emphasised the need for time-bound completion of development programmes and underlined the need for the adoption of newer technologies and innovations for faster completion of projects without compromising any quality.
Dr Jitendra Singh appreciated the efforts of the PRI representatives to strengthen the grassroot level democracy and make people aware of the benefits of the government’s welfare schemes. He told the PRIs to always keep in mind the PM’s call for maximising the reach and utilisation of government schemes in rural India so that no one was left out.