Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address elected representatives and functionaries of Panchayati Raj Institutions, as well as Special Gram Sabhas, across the country from Rewa, Madhya Pradesh on 24^th April, on the occasion of the National Panchayati Raj Day.

The Ministry of Panchayati Raj, in collaboration with the Government of Madhya Pradesh is celebrating the National Panchayati Raj Day as a major event as part of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav (AKAM) — Samaaveshi Vikaas (Inclusive Development), adopting Whole-of-the-Government approach.

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The Prime Minister will be the Chief Guest at the national function to be organised at the Special Armed Forces Ground, Rewa. This year’s National Panchayati Raj Day holds a special significance as it will mark 30 years of Panchayati Raj in the country.

The National Panchayati Raj is celebrated on 24th April of every year as on this day in 1992, the Constitution (73^rd Amendment) Act, 1992 came into force, institutionalising Panchayati Raj as a major step towards decentralization of power at the grassroots level.

Since 2014, the Central Government has intensified its efforts to support the Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) in the best manner possible to ensure that the basic objectives of the Panchayati Raj are achieved in true letter and spirit. There has been a quantum leap in the allocation of fiscal resources to the PRIs to support various infrastructure requirements and developmental activities in rural areas.

The Prime Minister will inaugurate on the occasion an integrated e-GramSwaraj and GeM portal to enable Panchayats to procure their goods and services through GeM, leveraging the e-GramSwaraj platform.

The launch of the e-GramSwaraj – GeM Integration will encourage panchayats to usher in the digital revolution where they will have access to an easy-to-use procurement and payment platform.

While the panchayats and local sellers adopt this initiative, it will help an entire buyer-seller ecosystem to flourish, thereby boosting rural economy and entrepreneurship, along with strengthening the Digital India Programme.

The Prime Minister will also hand over SVAMITVA property cards to select beneficiaries, symbolizing attainment of the milestone of 1.25 crore property cards distribution under the SVAMITVA Scheme in the country.

The SVAMITVA-Meri Sampatti, Mera Haq campaign under Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav – Samaaveshi Vikas – Inclusive Development aims to generate 1.50 crore “Records of Rights”/Property Cards under SVAMITVA Scheme by August 2023.

SVAMITVA (Survey of Villages and Mapping with Improvised Technology in Village Areas) is a Central Sector Scheme launched by the Prime Minister on 24th April 2020 on the occasion of the National Panchayati Raj Day.

It aims to provide “Records of Rights”/Property Cards to rural household owners of the inhabited area of the village. The scheme covers multifarious aspects viz. facilitating monetisation of properties and enabling bank loans; reducing property-related disputes; comprehensive village-level planning.

It will further enhance the socio-economic profile of the panchayats, making them self-sustainable. The Property Card generated under the Scheme provides the right of the property to the household in the rural abadi area. The Scheme covers each section of society including SCs, STs, differently-abled, minorities, women and other vulnerable groups.

As on 31st March 2023, drone flying has been completed in 2.39 lakh villages which make up 63 per cent of the overall target of 3.72 lakh villages, and drone survey is completed in the state of Madhya Pradesh, UTs of Lakshadweep, Delhi, Dadra Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu.

Property Cards of all inhabited villages of Haryana followed by Uttarakhand, Puducherry, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, and Goa have been prepared. With close coordination between the States and the Survey of India, a milestone of preparation of over 1.24 crore property Cards for nearly 74,000 villages is achieved.

The Prime Minister will also perform the Griha Pravesh (ceremony on entering one’s new house) of more than four lakh beneficiaries under the Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana–Gramin (PMAY–G). At present 4.11 lakh houses are ready for the Griha Pravesh programme.

He will attend the ground-breaking ceremony of projects worth about Rs 7,000 crore under Jal Jeevan Mission. Bhoomi Poojan of various works under Jal Jeevan Mission in Rewa District will be performed on this occasion. The Prime Minister will flag-off the Rewa-Itwari train and dedicate other railway projects to the nation.