(Updating earlier copy)
New Delhi (NVI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi today said that the Covid-19 crisis is a big lesson for the country to be self-reliant self-sufficient in dealing with such situations.
The PM was interacting with sarpanchs (village heads) across the country through video-conferencing on Panchayati Raj Divas.
With the country under a lockdown for a month now and the total number of cases crossing over 23,000, the Prime Minister said that the need of the hour is to be self-reliant at the level of a village, a district as well as a country.
Interacting with Sarpanchs across the country through Video-Conferencing on Panchayati Raj Divas. https://t.co/irKVx4lKN6
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) April 24, 2020
The PM further said that despite the overwhelming effects of the pandemic, people in the country are facing the hardships with limited resources, instead of feeling helpless.
While addressing the village heads, PM lauded them for setting an example for the world in social distancing through “do gaj ki doori” or “do gaj deh ki doori” (a distance of two steps).
He said that there was a time when not even 100 panchayats in the country were connected with broadband. “Today, the service has reached more than 1.25 lakh panchayats,” he said while adding that there are over three lakh common service centers in villages now.
The PM told the village heads that tireless efforts are needed for sanitisation in villages, setting up quarantine centers for people arriving from cities in less time, arranging for food of each and every individual, awareness among the general public.
Prime Minister Modi also said that the government is making the best possible efforts to provide better healthcare facilities to the poor people from the villages. “Ayushman Bharat scheme has also proved to be a big relief to the poor in villages. Under the scheme, more than one crore poor patients have availed free treatment at hospitals,” he said.
On the occasion, the Prime Minister also launched a unified e-Gram Swaraj website and mobile app to support gram panchayats across the country. The portal will provide the panchayats single interface to prepare and implement their development plans.
April 24 is observed as Panchayati Raj Day. The Panchayati Raj had come into force on April 24, 1993 marking a defining moment in the history of decentralisation of power to the grassroots in the country, through the Constitution (73rd Amendment) Act-1992.
