Central team assesses preparations ahead of PM visit

Samba, Apr 11: A high level central team led by Union Minister of State PMO, Dr Jitendra Singh, on Monday visited Palli panchayat in Samba district to review preparations ahead of Prime Minister, Narendra Modi’s rally there on April 24 on the eve of Panchayati Raj Divas.
Pertinently, this year’s ‘Panchayti Raj Diwas’ is being organized at Palli by the Union Ministry of Panchayati Raj in collaboration with Union Ministry of Science and Technology, Department of Biotechnology and Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR).
Prominent among those who accompanied the Union Minister included Chetan Prakash Jain, CMD, Central Electronics Limited and Industrial Research, Union Ministry of Science and Technology, which is in the process of setting up a solar plant in Palli Panchayat in a record time of 20 days.
The 500 KV solar plant is being installed on a total area of 6,408 square meter which will electrify 340 houses in the Panchayat thus making it the first carbon neutral panchayat under the Government of India’s “Gram Urja Swaraj Programme”.
A team of senior J&K officers led by Additional Chief Secretary, Atal Dulloo, also interacted with the central team at Palli Panchayat.
Speaking to media after the visit, Dr Jitendra Singh said the selection of Palli Panchayat as the venue for national level Panchayati Raj Diwas celebration indicates the high priority being given by Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, to Jammu and Kashmir. It also reflects Modi government’s focus towards strengthening Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) in the Union Territory, he added while reiterating PM’s commitment towards making JK’s grassroots democracy vibrant and thriving. He said Prime Minister will be undertaking this visit for the first time after the first-ever election to the District Development Councils held in the UT after 70 years of independence.
“Prime Minister has been over the past 8 years working earnestly towards establishing a strong grassroots democracy in Jammu & Kashmir with focus on development and equitable distribution of resources among all sections of society”, Singh added.
Conveying Narendra Modi’s concern for rural uplift, Dr Jitendra Singh said the Union Ministry of Science & Technology will be showcasing some of the latest scientific innovations applicable for rural development and upgraded agricultural farming during the Panchayati Raj Diwas. There will also be exhibition of Drone Technology in Agricultural farming, Aroma Mission and Purple Revolution Floriculture mission, modern uses of Bamboo, wastewater management etcetera.
Other senior Central government functionaries who accompanied Dr Jitendra Singh included Sunil Kumar, Surveyor General of India, Dr Purnima Rupal, Senior Scientist from CSIR, Dr Dev Priya Dutta, Senior Scientist from Ministry of Science and Technology, Dr Sreenivas Reddy, Director IIIM-CSIR Jammu, Dr Vaishali Punjabi and Dr Richi Senior Scientists from Department of Biotechnology, Dr Vipin Kumar, Director, National Innovation Foundation, Gandhinagar Gujarat, Dr Bharat Bhushan, Dr Gaurav Jain and Dr B K Tyagi, from Vigyan Prasar, Union Ministry of Science & Technology.