Union Minister Bhanu Pratap Singh Verma today participated in the Viksit Bharat Sankalp Yatra held at Tynring village under Mawryngkneng Block, East Khasi Hills District of Meghalaya.
Speaking on the occasion, the Singh spoke about the objectives of the campaign and about the efforts of the central government in working towards development of the tribal and rural society. He said the rapid pace at which the North East has developed, is reflective of the emphasis that the centre has placed on increasing connectivity in the region and the construction of highways in remote and inaccessible areas as well.
The Minister of State for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises also said that the ministry is consistently working to empower MSMEs for sustainable growth and to become compatible in the global value chain. He informed that women from the region can avail benefits of the schemes of the ministry as there is the provision of 33 per cent subsidy for people in the region, the Minister added.
He further spoke about the new scheme launched Pradhan Mantri Vishwakarma Yojana (PMVY), which aims to uplift the standard of life of artisans and craftspeople and equip them with the technology to augment their skills for the modern market. He said the scheme covers 18 traditional trades, will further empower the beneficiaries with knowledge of modern tools, branding, marketing, digital and financial literacy skills along with credit support, increasing their productivity and enabling them to market their products more efficiently and effectively, the Minister added.
“Under the visionary leadership of the Prime Minister, India has been making rapid progress on every front and today stands as the fifth largest economy in the world,” Singh said, adding that the country would transform into the world’s third largest economy too in future.
He further public representatives, officials, and non-officials, to actively participate in the Viksit Bharat Sankalp Yatra to create awareness among all sections of people, and to motivate them to avail the benefits.
Meghalaya Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Minister, Alexander Laloo Hek urged the people to take advantage of programmes and schemes of the government.
Nine beneficiaries under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana Gramin were also given certificates at the programme.
Stalls were set up at the venue of the programme. Various ‘Jan Bhagidari’ events like sharing of experiences by beneficiaries of the central schemes, achieving 100 per cent saturation of schemes like Ayushman Bharat, Jal Jeevan Mission, Jan Dhan Yojana, PM Kisan Samman Nidhi Yojana, ODF Plus status, on-spot quiz competitions, drone demonstration, health camps among others were major attractions at the event. People who participated in the programme also took the transformative ‘Sankalp Pledge”.
Meanwhile, the East Jaintia Hills district administration in collaboration with the office of the Block Development Officer, Wapung C&RD Block and different line departments today organized the VBSY awareness programmes at Iongkaluh and Jalyiah villages under Wapung C&RD Block.
Director of Finance, Ministry of Rural Development Sailesh Kumar urged people to leverage on the opportunity by availing the services made available to them in order to facilitate achievement of 100 per cent saturation status in respect of enrolment under different schemes and programmes of the central government.
Certificates were also handed to prominent sports achievers of Jalyiah and new LPG connections under PM Ujjwala Yojana were also handed over to beneficiaries.
Free medical check-ups, Tuberculosis (TB) Screening, etc were conducted by health officials. During the day, officials of the Department of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare interacted with farmers of the area and highlighted to them the importance of soil health management even as participants were encouraged to get their soil tested in order to know the nature and types of agricultural products most suitable to the area and in order to boost their production.
Other highlights of the programme include experience sharing by beneficiaries under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Gramin (PMAY-G) and National Rural Livelihood Mission (NRLM).
