Gujarat celebrating state-wide 'Vikas Saptah' from Oct 7 to 15; 918 programs will be held in rural Panchayats across state

Gandhinagar (Gujarat) [India], October 11 (ANI): Gujarat is celebrating a state-wide 'Vikas Saptah' from October 7 to 15, dedicated to the Panchayati Raj system and grassroots participation, a release from Gujarat CMO said.
The 'Vikas Saptah' marks a glorious milestone of 24 years of public services by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. On October 7, 2001, PM Narendra Modi took oath as the Chief Minister of Gujarat, embarking on an inspiring journey of public service through administration.
During his 12-year tenure as Gujarat CM, he implemented several key initiatives, including the creation of a dedicated Climate Change Department to promote sustainable solutions. In 2014, Modi became the 14th Prime Minister of India, leading the country with a vision for progress and development.
The release also explained what Gujarat's Samras Gram Yojana Model is and why it is special.
According to Gujarat CMO's release, it is noteworthy that just a few days after Narendra Modi became the Chief Minister of Gujarat, on October 29, 2001, the Samras Gram Yojana was implemented in Gujarat, which today has played a significant role in transforming the state's rural and Panchayati Raj system.
Gujarat's "Samras Gram Yojana" is a successful model of rural democracy, in which all ward members and the Sarpanch of a village are elected unanimously and without opposition. This saves time and resources in elections and accelerates development work. Such uncontested panchayats are called "Samras Gram Panchayats," and if all members are women, they are called "Mahila Samras Gram Panchayats."
Samras Grams receive additional financial assistance from the state government for development works, exceeding the normal allocation, thereby improving basic facilities in these villages. Over the past 24 years, the state government has provided Samras Panchayats with an additional grant of ₹351.20 crore, which has recently been increased by 1.5 times.
According to the Gujarat CMO's release, since 2001, 15,553 panchayats in Gujarat have turned 'Samras,' including 828 women panchayats.
Additional Development Commissioner of the Panchayat Department and State Nodal Officer for Panchayat Department Day under Vikas Saptah, Dr. Gaurav Dahiya, said, "The Samras Gram Yojana, initiated by then Chief Minister Narendra Modi, has brought a revolutionary change in Gujarat's rural development and Panchayati Raj system.
This scheme is extremely popular in the state today because it provides rural panchayats with additional funds for development projects beyond the normal allocation. So far, 15,553 Gram Panchayats have become Samras, including 828 Women Samras Panchayats."
The release said that the statewide Vikas Saptah will feature 918 programmes across 34 districts.
In the context of celebrating 24 years of work by the Panchayat Department during this Vikas Saptah, Dr. Gaurav Dahiya shared important information. He stated, "As part of Vikas Saptah, today the State Government will organise special events of the 'Vikas Rath' in three key villages, aimed at bringing transformative changes to rural life and directly delivering the benefits of government schemes. In addition, special programmes will be organised across the state's 34 districts over nine days, comprising a total of 918 programmes in three phases. These will include providing scheme benefits to beneficiaries of various departments, along with ground-breaking ceremonies and inaugurations of development works."
Vikas Saptah to honour sakhi mandals and districts for outstanding excellence, the release added.
According to Dr. Gaurav Dahiya, Additional Development Commissioner of the Panchayat Department, today, Gujarat Livelihood Promotion Company Limited (GLPC) will organise a special event to honour the outstanding work of Sakhi Mandals. At this event, two Sakhi Mandals from Rajkot and one each from Amreli, Morbi, and Junagadh will be awarded. Alongside this, stalls showcasing the products and work of various Sakhi Mandals from across Gujarat are also being exhibited.
Additionally, on this day, districts making outstanding contributions to the Swachhata Hi Seva campaign will be honoured. Awards will be presented to Dang as the best tribal district category, Ahmedabad as the best non-tribal district category, Kheda as the best taluka category, Navsari as the best gram panchayat category, Bharuch as the best village category, Rajkot as the best school category, Sabarkantha as the best Sakhi Mandal category, and Bhavnagar as the best public toilet category. (ANI)