Gandhinagar, July 4 — In a major move to boost sanitation and community-led development in Gujarat, Chief Minister Shri Bhupendra Patel announced the doubling of monthly per capita sanitation grant from ₹4 to ₹8. Addressing a gathering of newly elected sarpanches and gram panchayat members, the CM emphasized creating a competitive atmosphere among villages to achieve excellence in cleanliness and governance.
Speaking at a felicitation event organized at Mahatma Mandir, the CM honored 761 “Samras” gram panchayats and awarded them with a ₹35 crore incentive grant via DBT. In total, ₹1236 crore was allocated for various rural development schemes across the state.
“Every village should compete in cleanliness. Let us build pride in our villages through our collective efforts,” the CM declared. He also highlighted the transformation in rural governance and infrastructure under Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi’s 11 years of leadership, pointing to major achievements like housing for 4 crore rural poor and internet connectivity in over 2 lakh gram panchayats.
Union Jal Shakti Minister Shri C.R. Paatil, who also attended the event, likened sarpanches to ‘village-level Chief Ministers’ and emphasized their moral duty in ensuring inclusive development and democratic governance. He praised Gujarat for its record number of consensus-based “Samras” panchayats and lauded the strengthening of Panchayati Raj institutions.
Minister Paatil also urged sarpanches to accelerate implementation of key programs like Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, Jal Jeevan Mission, and rainwater conservation. He noted the nationwide impact of these programs, including over 60 crore citizens now using toilets and 15.65 crore households receiving piped water.
Minister of Rural Development Shri Raghavji Patel reiterated the state government’s commitment to PM Modi’s vision of “Urban-like amenities in rural areas.” He credited the leadership of CM Bhupendra Patel for Gujarat’s all-round rural advancement through flagship schemes like PM Awas Yojana, MGNREGA, and E-Gram initiatives.
The event also included the presentation of certificates of excellence to sarpanches and panchayats demonstrating exceptional performance. Top state officials including Chief Secretary Shri Pankaj Joshi and Development Commissioner Shri Hitesh Koya were present, alongside a large gathering of elected sarpanch representatives.
Source: Directorate of Information, Gujarat
