Union Minister for Rural Development, Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Shivraj Singh Chouhan has directed officials to explore how the Viksit Bharat-GRAM G Scheme can contribute to building Viksit Gaon. Addressing a national workshop, organised on the Viksit Bharat-G RAM G. Mr Chouhan stressed that along with providing employment, the scheme should facilitate the creation of assets that remain useful to rural communities over the long term and help make villages self-reliant and developed. The Minister directed officials to conduct random inspections of works being undertaken under the scheme. He said that work should not merely mean digging soil at one place and dumping it at another. He stressed that, keeping in view the objective of “Viksit Gaon for a Viksit Bharat”, works under the scheme should create a strong foundation for village development and strengthen the rural economy.
Mr Chouhan also emphasised adherence to the wage-material ratio under the scheme. He said that at the district level, 60 per cent of the funds are to be spent on wages and 40 per cent on material. The Minister also planted saplings in New Delhi on the occasion of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s birthday. The workshop was attended by elected representatives of Panchayati Raj Institutions, Commissioners and senior officials of States and Union Territories, and other participants.
