New milestones in 'gram swaraj'; PM says democratic empowerment of panchayats

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Modi has claimed that India has achieved new milestones in the areas of Gram Swaraj and democratic empowerment of panchayats in the last eight years. The PM also requested the Sarpanches to mark the forthcoming Yoga Day special, and make efforts for saturation coverage of welfare schemes and water conservation. .

Modi send a letter to sarpanches (village heads) days after his government marked its eighth anniversary. In the letter he appreciated their contribution for the last eight years and spoke about various issues for which he asked their support.

He asked them to make a special effort to celebrate the 8th International Yoga Day on July 21 and to encourage everyone in their village to join the exercise.

He directed them to choose an ancient or tourist spot in their area or a place near the water to do yoga, prompting them to share pictures that could inspire others.

The Prime Minister wrote that people all over the world watch them enthusiastically celebrating the day, and in recent years it was a matter of pride for Indians to share the images of them doing yoga from different angles from the sky to the Himalayas and the sea.

The theme for this year is "Yoga for humanity" and added that people have realized the value of health and the role that yoga can play in it, after the global Covid 19 pandemic.

Emphasising the need to conserve water, Modi urged the village heads to continue their joint efforts in the villages for rainwater harvesting measures.

On the occasion of the country's 75th anniversary of independence, he said that 75 'amrit sarovars', a reference to water bodies, would be established in in every district to support the water conserving efforts.

"When every eligible person in the village gets full benefits of schemes, then the village as well as the entire country will prosper," he wrote.

Modi also asked them to continue with the efforts for 'Swachh Bharat' (clean India) with all seriousness.

On the issue of 'gram swaraj' (village self-rule) and 'garib kalyan' (poor's welfare), he said, "New milestones have been achieved towards gram swaraj and democratic empowerment of panchayats." He noted that the WHO had recently felicitated ASHA (Accredited Social Health Activist), workers, and said it is a matter of pride for villages. In the letter, the prime minister also wished farmers a good monsoon season.

With inputs from PTI