Sansad Adarsh Gram Yojana (SAGY)

Sansad Adarsh Gram Yojana is a rural development programme broadly focusing upon the development in the villages which includes social development, cultural development and spread motivation among the people on social mobilization of the village community. The programme was launched by the Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi on the birth anniversary of Jayaprakash Narayan, on 11 October 2014. Saansad Adarsh Gram Yojana (SAGY) was launched with the aim to translate the comprehensive vision of Mahatma Gandhi about an ideal Indian village into a reality, keeping in view the present context. The proposed “Sansad Adarsh Gram Yojana” of the Central Government aims to involve MPs more directly in the development of model villages. By adopting a village(s) under this initiative, an MP has the opportunity to directly benefit all sections of a village community in an integrated, efficient and participatory fashion.

Objectives:

The main objectives of SAGY are:

To trigger processes which lead to drastic development of the identified Gram Panchayats
To substantially improve the standard of living and quality of life of all sections of the population through

Improved basic amenities
Higher productivity
Enhanced human development
Better livelihood opportunities
Reduced disparities
Access to rights and entitlements
Wider social mobilization
Enriched social capital

To generate models of local level development and effective local governance which can motivate and inspire neighbouring Gram Panchayats to learn and adapt
To nurture the identified Adarsh Grams as schools of local development to train other Gram Panchayats

Values of Saansad Adarsh Gram Yojana:

Far beyond mere infrastructure development, SAGY aims at instilling certain values in the villages and their people so that they get transformed into models for others. These values include:

Adopting people’s participation as an end in itself – ensuring the involvement of all sections of society in all aspects related to the life of village, especially in decision- making related to governance
Adhering to Antyodaya – enabling the “poorest and the weakest person” in the village to achieve well being
Affirming gender equality and ensuring respect for women
Guaranteeing social justice
Instilling dignity of labour and the spirit of community service and voluntarism
Promoting a culture of cleanliness
Living in consonance with nature – ensuring a balance between development and ecology
Preserving and promoting local cultural heritage
Inculcating mutual cooperation, self-help and self-reliance
Fostering peace and harmony in the village community
Bringing about transparency, accountability and probity in public life
Nurturing local self-governance
Adhering to the values enshrined in the Fundamental Rights and Fundamental Duties of the Indian Constitution

Identification of villages:

MPs can select any gram panchayat, other than their own village or that of their spouse, to be developed as an Adarsh Gram. The village must have a population of 3000-5000 people if it is located in the plains, or 1000-3000 people if located in hilly areas
Lok Sabha MPs can choose a village from their constituency, and Rajya Sabha MPs from the state from which they are elected. Nominated members can choose a village from any district of the country. MPs which represent urban constituencies can identify a village from a neighbouring rural constituency

Some Success Stories:

In Laderwan village, Block Trehgam, District Kupwara, Jammu & Kashmir, the major activity of the people is agriculture. To promote scientific agriculture, the mobile numbers of 379 farmers were linked with the Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK). The KVK disseminates sms messages on weather forecasts and messages on the recommended package of practices for specific crops at critical stages of crop growth. This has been undertaken under the guidance of the Member of Parliament, Shri Muzaffar Hussain Baig. As a result, farmers now get regular agro-advisories on their mobiles. These include critical messages on scientific sowing practices, soil testing, crop protection, agronomic practices, post-harvest technologies and market information. This enables people to take informed decisions relating to crop production and marketing their agricultural produce.
The Member of Parliament Shri Bidyut Baran Mahato in his adopted Gram Panchayat of Bangurda realised that very minimal efforts were being taken with regard to health and hygiene of adolescent girls in remote and inaccessible villages in East Singhbhum, Jharkhand. There is high prevalence of Anaemia and other ailments, especially among women and adolescent girls. In order to address this, he initiated a series of health camps specifically targeted towards the adolescent girls. The health camps were organised in the Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya, where more than 188 adolescent girls were screened. As a result, many of the girls were found to be suffering from various gynaecological diseases, urinary tract infection and skin diseases, which hitherto, were suppressed by them owing to socio-cultural taboos.

Monitoring:

A web based monitoring system will be established to enable the MP and other stakeholders to monitor the scheme. Outputs relating to physical and financial targets will be measured each quarter. A mid-term evaluation and post-project evaluation will be conducted through an independent agency.

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