Infused with facilities, Sevapuri becoming a role model of growth
A signboard installed at the entrance of Sevapuri developmental block office in (Barauli area) Sevapuri reads: Ideal Developmental Block, Sevapuri. The block is being transformed into a model developmental block of the country.
VARANASI : Amini, a little known village panchayat in ideal developmental block Sevapuri here has a panchayat secretariat equipped with Internet connection, a painted road, a wellness centre, sports ground surrounded by a boundary, garbage bins placed at different locations and rickshaw carts to collect and dispose of waste, a newly built community toilet and a veterinary centre.
These facilities are a common sight in all 87 village panchayats in ideal developmental bock Sevapuri, being developed as India’s first model ideal block by Varanasi district administration under the guidance of the Niti Aayog. At the initiative of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Niti Aayog selected Sevapuri block in the beginning of 2020 to make it a model by ensuring 100 percent implementation of all developmental and social welfares schemes of the central and state government in all 87 village panchayats.
A micro planning was done to develop different facilities in all 87 village panchayats by effective coordination among 14 departments, including education, PWD, health, rural development, electricity, telecommunication, agriculture, animal husbandry, fisheries, social welfare, skill development-MSME, women and child development, panchayati raj and labour and banking sector.
The developmental work was to be started in March 2020. But Covid-19 delayed implementation of the project for about five months. In July 2020, when Covid-19 became somewhat mild, chief executive officer, Niti Aayog, Amitabh Kant visited Sevapuri developmental block and held a meeting with divisional commissioner Deepak Agarwal and district magistrate Kaushalraj Sharma and instructed them to steer the project at a fast pace.
“We set 141 goals, including installation of garbage bins, providing rickshaw carts for garbage collection, construction of community toilets, transformation of government primary and upper primary schools, construction and renovation of panchayat secretariats with Internet connection, registration of people for old age, divyang and widow pension, skill development training and others to achieve desired outcomes. Thereafter, work began for implementation of the schemes to achieve the targets,” said Deepak Agarwal, divisional commissioner.
Coordination, effective monitoring and rigorous evaluation together yielded desired results, said Agarwal and added that all 87 village panchayats were connected to all-weather roads, had panchayat secretariats (69 panchayat bhawans have been renovated as panchayat secretariat and new buildings built in 18 village panchayats), 2577 garbage bins were distributed in these villages, a community toilet each was built in 87 villages and 87 ponds were dug up. Fifty local youths interested in fisheries were imparted training by the department of fisheries. Likewise, 1136 eligible people were enrolled for old age pension, 174 for divyang pension, 362 for widow pension and 282 for Mukhyamantri Kanya Sumangala Yojna by the department of social welfare.
All 87 village panchayats had Internet connection through optical fibre cables, he said.
Agarwal said as each panchayat secretariat was equipped with Internet connection and common service centre, locals did not have to run to block office or tehsil for birth certificate, copy of Khatauni (land document) and applying for various pensions. Government primary and upper primary schools were transformed under Operation Kayakalp. Children’s libraries were set up in 124 schools and classroom floors were tiled. Boundary walls were built in 13 schools lacking it and 53 schools given electricity connection. Drinking water facility was also provided in 23 schools. Under
Mera Ghar, Mera School project, teachers of government primary schools visited villages daily and taught children of Class 1 to 5 at a common place in their village.
He also said that cancer screening of every family in all 87 village panchayats in Sevapuri area was being done by Homi Bhabha Cancer Hospital .
Ouside Jogiyapur village in the ideal block area, an MNREGA-herbal park has been developed. Medicinal plants of 40 indigenous species such as Kaalmegh, Madar, Shatavari and Ashwagandha have been planted there. Sevapuri developmental block office building also underwent renovation and the meeting auditorium was equipped with all facilities, including sound system and mikes with a round table and proper dais.
At the instructions of Niti Aayog CEO, over 2,200 volunteers were roped in to bring behavioral change among the locals to improve health and sanitation in the villages, said Umeshmani Tripathi, project director, District Rural Development Authority (DRDA) and nodal officer for the model block project. Locals, however, voiced mixed opinions.
But Sukharaj Patel said , “Garbage bins have been placed in the villages to paint a rosy picture. Nothing has changed inside the villages. Lanes still need to be turned into concrete roads. Steps for employment generation should also be taken.” Manoj Kumar, also of Amini village, said, “Wellness centre and other facilities are very useful for the locals. The Niti Aayog should also come out with a concrete plan for employment generation in rural pockets so that youths like me don’t stay unemployed.” The divisional commissioner said that the work on transformation of lanes inside the villages would soon begin and Sevapuri would turn into a Model Ideal Developmental block by April 2021.
Without spending any additional resources, we have achieved desired outcomes simply by convergence of various departments’ schemes and funds available with them DEEPAK AGARWAL, divisional commissioner