Saansad Adarsh Gram Yojana

The Saansad Adarsh Gram Yojana (SAGY) was launched by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi on October 11, 2014 at Vigyan Bhavan, New Delhi, on the birth anniversary of Jayaprakash Narayan.

The Objective

Taking inspiration from Mahatma Gandhi who spoke of developing villages in order to develop India, the Prime Minister has set a goal that by 2016, all parliamentarians must target to establish at least one Model village in his or her constituency, with the goal of improving the physical and institutional infrastructure in a holistic way that is centred on the village community.

The long term aim is that each of these villages will then inspire and serve as a model to other villages in the area. Once the model village is set up, the parliamentarians may then adopt more villages to be developed on a similar pattern.

Value proposition of SAGY

Very rightly, SAGY aims to instil values in people that will form the basis for transformation of thought and lifestyle at the village level.

The programme aims to focus on inclusiveness of all sections of the community and garner their support towards establishing common objectives of governance of their village. Its other objectives are:

Extending the 'Antyodaya' principle, enabling social and economic development of the poorest and weakest in society.

Guaranteeing social justice for all, while ensuring gender equality and respect to all women. Bringing back the spirit of community service through voluntary work, while ensuring dignity of labour for all.

Making cleanliness a lifestyle and ensuring a right balance of developing the village in consonance with preserving the ecology.

Encouraging self-help and self-reliance, while fostering the spirit of mutual cooperation, social harmony and peace amongst all.

Ensuring local self-governance that stands on principles of transparency, integrity and probity in public life.

Ensuring that all activities are carried out as per values and guidelines, as assured in the Fundamental Rights and Fundamental Duties of the Indian Constitution.

Objective of SAGY

The program aims to initiate and establish holistic processes of development of the Gram Panchayat, which will then serve as a basis and model to other Gram Panchayats to follow.

To significantly upgrade the standard and quality of life of all residing in the village by initiating steps to improve basic amenities, enhance human development, create livelihood opportunities while boosting productivity, enriching social capital while reducing disparities between various sections of society, ensuring access to rights & entitlement to all, by encouraging wider social inclusiveness and mobilisation.

SAGY plans to develop locally inspired models of development based on self-governance that serves as a viable model for extension to other villages in the area. Each Adarsh Gram would serve as an example to train other Gram Panchayats on development models.

The approach to implementation of SAGY

The guiding principles for successful implementation will include leveraging the leadership and popularity of the Members of Parliament amongst the people in their respective constituencies, to guide and drive the programme.

Involving the people from all sections to contribute to various development programs initiated. To ensure that local involvement succeeds in bringing together various initiatives by the government and private agencies, in a planned and coordinated manner.

To build long term relationships based on cooperation and guidance from various academic & research agencies, voluntary organisations and co-operatives, while focusing on outcomes and sustainability of various initiatives.

Holistic approach to development under SAGY includes:

Personal development

At the individual level, the programme seeks to bring about higher consciousness about personal health and hygiene, while maintaining cleanliness in the home and the area around the home. Imbibing a healthy lifestyle built around regular exercising and shunning of unhealthy habits such as alcohol, smoking, substance abuse etc.

Human development

The programme will ensure development of medical facilities and universal access to basic health amenities and regular medical examination, through issuance of medical cards.

Improving the nutritional status with special focus on pregnant women, lactating mothers, young girls and children. The medical programme to cover 100per cent immunisation for all residents of the village. Focus on maintaining a balanced sex-ratio and ensuring access to facilities and special needs of persons with disability. Ensuring maximum enrolment and completion of schools through development of smart schools, which will have IT-enabled classrooms, e-library and provide web based teaching, using modern teaching aids and techniques.

Promote adult literacy programmes and inculcate the habit of reading by promoting e-literacy and making available e-libraries.

Social development

To develop a sense of ownership at the village level by encouraging voluntary participation in all development activity.

Public recognition by honouring elders, women, martyrs, freedom fighters etc, to establish role models for people to emulate.

Educate and sensitise the youth towards a crime-free society and respect for women and elders. Encourage sports, cultural and social integration activities at the local level by involving all residents. Develop a 'Village Song' and celebrate one specific day each year as the 'Village Day' to instil a sense of pride and entity for the village.

Focus on integrating all weaker sections, schedule castes and backward classes into all activities.

Economic development

Develop opportunities for generating livelihood by optimally utilising local resources to promote agriculture and allied activities that include livestock and horticulture.

Providing better amenities and services

Building of pucca houses for those without a home and also for those living in kuccha houses. Providing piped drinking water to all homes and building all-weather roads from inner lanes to the main road. Providing electricity to all households and encouraging the use of solar for both electricity and cooking purposes. Developing street lighting using solar power.

Building of pucca structures for public use buildings like the Gram Panchayat, school, Anganwadi, community hall, medical facilities, crematorium etc.

Setting up of public facilities like Micro Mini Banks, ATMs, PDS Outlets. Making available broadband services to all and providing access to common web-based services to all village residents.

Social security

This is an important objective with special focus on introducing a variety of social security programmes like the Aam Aadmi Bima Yojana and the Health insurance program-RSBY, to all eligible families. Pension schemes for the old & aged, widows, disabled and other eligible families along with access to PDS facilities for all.

Good governance

The purpose is to strengthen the Gram Panchayat and Gram Sabha through use of e-governance to improve, information and time-bound monitoring of service delivery as per Department's Citizen Charter, attendance and performance monitoring of government and panchayat staff, and using technology for faster flow of welfare information of public interest.

The programme encourages holding of Mahila Gram Sabha before each Gram Sabha meeting. Each Gram Sabha to be held four times a year, while Bal Sabha to be held every quarter.

Bi-annual Social Audit of all programmes implemented by the Gram Sabha to be facilitated by the Social Audit Units under MNREGA.

Gram Panchayat to ensure all information related to activities, revenues & expenditure, etc to be displayed for public scrutiny through display on notice boards and the web; also releasing list of applicants and beneficiaries of any programmes.

Strengthening of the public grievance system by establishing an effective grievance registering and monitoring process with clear guidelines for status update and response to the applicant.

Use of technology and innovations

To facilitate successful programme monitoring and implementation, remote sensing based GIS technology will be used to map physical assets under each village.

The National Informatics Centre will be engaged to provide geo-tagging application tools for programme monitoring, using mobile technology.

To boost and monitor agro-based practices, the local Krishi Vigyan Kendra and the District ATMA will be engaged to provide all necessary inputs.

Institutions like the National Innovation Foundation and the Bank of Ideas and Innovation, established under the State Rural Livelihood Mission, will be tapped for providing all necessary information, training and support for improving opportunities for employment and livelihood at the local level.

Promotion of low cost building materials and housing technologies using latest innovations developed by IIT Delhi and Ministry of Rural Development.

Effective road building technologies will be taught by the National Roads Development Agency. Water management and supply, along with development of sanitation & waste management to be promoted using low cost locally developed technologies and made available through the Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation.

The Ministry of Rural Development will coordinate with all relevant agencies to ensure a coordinated availability of information, training and resources at the Adarsh Gram level.

SAGY Outcome and Sustainability

Outcome

The broad outcome of the programme is to create local opportunities for employment and livelihood generation, while reducing distress migration for employment. Complete freedom from bonded labour, child labour and manual scavenging.

Total registry of all births and deaths and ensuring a healthy male-female ratio. Promotion of social integration and harmony amongst all communities and ensuring social justice for all through locally managed fair and transparent grievance redressal mechanisms.

Establish a demonstration impact on other villages so that they too may emulate the model.

Sustainability

The success of SAGY depends not only on implementation of the programme but also its sustainability. To ensure this, MPs will be tasked to ensure continual monitoring of the programme and engage with local communities on a regular basis.

Establish a strong ownership of the programme by the Gram Panchayat and supported by all residents. Involving established private companies to build and operate larger assets like sewerage, waste management and water supply systems, while involving SHGs for managing smaller assets like bio-gas, vermicomposting facilities etc.

Establishing publicly visible clear guidelines and Standard Operating Procedures for implementation and monitoring of all programmes.

Identifying an Adarsh Gram

A village in plain areas with a population of 3000-5000 and 1000-3000 in hill and tribal areas, would be ideal for selection as an Adarsh Gram.

A Member of Parliament is free to choose his or her own village or his spouse's village, as an Adarsh Gram. Each MP must identify one village for initial development and may shortlist 2-3 more for subsequent inclusion under the program.

The objective is to have established at least three Adarsh Grams by 2019, with at least one by 2016. Thereafter, the target is to develop at least five Adarsh Grams at the rate of one per year till 2024.

Role and responsibility of each Member of Parliament

Identification of the Adarsh Gram and social mobilisation of members of that village through a series of engagement and inclusion initiatives.

Communicate the purpose and values of the schemes to all residents with clear benefits and goals defined. Include suggestions from local residents and define a roll out plan. Mobilise necessary resources through local contribution of time and resources and fill in the crucial gaps by utilising MPLADS fund, wherever necessary.

The MPs will have to periodically monitor the progress and step in to remove any roadblocks that may arise through community engagement, at all levels.

Ensure complete transparency in programme implementation and monitoring of outcomes & benefits, as also transparent redressal of all grievances.

Some of the prominent Members of Parliament to have announced selection of their respective Villages for development are:

Narendra Modi: Jayapur village in Varanasi district, U.P.
Rajnath Singh: Benti village, Lucknow district, U.P.
V K Singh: Mirpur Hindu village in Ghaziabad district. U.P.
Poonam Mahajan: Charoti village in Dahanu, Palghar district, Maharashtra

Funding

No fresh funding has been allocated for SAGY; it will be raised through voluntary contribution at the local level. Additional resources may be tapped from existing programmes like Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana, MNREGA, Indira Awas Yojana, MPLADS fund, Centre and State Finance Commission Grants and CSR funds.

Current status of SAGY

While the present government has initiated the steps towards the roll out, certain sections of the opposition have questioned the use of MPLADS fund for this programme as they are already being utilised under various schemes announced by the previous administration. The present government is in the process of engaging with members of the opposition to get their approval and involvement in the SAGY.

EBVD21.01.2015

Villages adopted by MP under Sansad Adarsh Gram Yojana