Latest news with #PanchayatiRajDay
The Hindu
14 hours ago
- General
- The Hindu
Mandya district sets benchmark in successful implementation of Children's Gram Sabhas
Mandya district has set a benchmark in inclusive rural governance by successfully implementing Children's Gram Sabhas and Women's Gram Sabhas. The district secured first place in the State for organising Children's Gram Sabhas and seventh place for Women's Gram Sabhas. This recognition highlights Mandya's efforts to empower women and children at the village level, said Zilla Panchayat CEO Nandini K.R. on Thursday. As part of a summer camp initiative, 216 out of 233 Gram Panchayats (GPs) conducted Children's Gram Sabhas, involving more than 17,500 children in awareness-building activities focused on rights, responsibilities, and community involvement. Similarly, 212 GPs organised Women's Gram Sabhas since March, achieving a 92% implementation rate. These forums encouraged women's participation in local governance and development planning. On April 24, all 233 GPs celebrated National Panchayati Raj Day, hosting events to strengthen public engagement in rural governance. A standout initiative came from Annooru GP in Maddur taluk, which entered the India Book of Records by organising a large-scale rangoli event on Panchayati Raj Day. The event, themed around women's empowerment, saw the participation from nearly all 1,544 households in the village, drawing 1,418 rangolis using natural colours. Ms. Nandini praised the effort as a 'model of best practices' in community participation, adding that several other GPs in the district are now adopting similar approaches.
News18
30-04-2025
- Politics
- News18
RSS Green Light, Bihar Model, JDU Boost: Caste Census Gets Centre's Nod
Last Updated: RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat's rare meeting with Prime Minister Modi at his residence in Delhi last evening is believed to have played a key role in shaping the Centre's decision In a crucial development amid deliberations related to the post-Pahalgam terror attack scenario, the Modi government announced a caste census after the Cabinet meeting on Wednesday — breaking a long-standing deadlock on the issue of caste-based enumeration in the country. This also clears the path for the next population census, which has been pending for the past 14 years, as the last census was conducted in 2011. RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat's rare meeting with the Prime Minister at his residence in Delhi last evening is believed to have played a key role in shaping the Centre's decision. The move marks a major policy shift on releasing identity-based data, coming eight months after the RSS softened its stance on the caste-based census during its Samanvaya Baithak (Coordination Meeting) in Kerala's Palakkad last September. The Sangh stated that a caste census may be conducted, provided the government ensures the data will be used solely for welfare purposes and not for electoral or political gain. A senior IAS officer serving in the Central government further broke it down. Speaking to News18 about the timing of the announcement, he said, 'The decision also signals that the government remains unfazed by Pakistan's alleged rhetoric. It is committed to bringing justice for the victims of the Pahalgam terror attack, but it will move firmly. This announcement sends a clear message that under the Modi government, governance and policy decisions will proceed undeterred, while security responses remain in the hands of the armed forces and security establishments. Just two days after the attack, PM Modi travelled to Bihar to honour his administrative commitment for Panchayati Raj Day, and on 1 May, he is scheduled to inaugurate the WAVE summit." 'This is a promise Nitish Kumar made and kept. He showed that governance can be rooted in accountability," said Rajeev Ranjan Prasad, senior JDU leader and the party's national spokesperson, emphasising the continuity of purpose that outlived political realignments in Bihar. He further added that the decision to conduct a caste census was initially taken by a BJP–JDU coalition in the state, while the caste survey was conducted later. जाति जनगणना कराने का केंद्र सरकार का फैसला स्वागतयोग्य है। जाति जनगणना कराने की हमलोगों की मांग पुरानी है। यह बेहद खुशी की बात है कि केन्द्र सरकार ने जाति जनगणना कराने का निर्णय किया है। जाति जनगणना कराने से विभिन्न वर्गों के लोगों की संख्या का पता चलेगा जिससे उनके उत्थान एवं…— Nitish Kumar (@NitishKumar) April 30, 2025 'The idea of a caste survey was first conceived during Nitish Kumar's tenure with the NDA, although it was finally conducted under a new JDU–RJD alliance. Nitish Kumar remained consistent in his commitment, fulfilling a promise that had been politically fraught and socially complex. Bihar is the pioneer state in this matter," he added. Nitish Kumar's government framed the Bihar survey not just as a political act, but as a model for inclusive development — one that could guide policy-making with hard data. Apart from the political-electoral dynamics surrounding the announcement of the caste census, the recent shift in the RSS's stance on the issue is an equally significant development. It reflects the Sangh's evolved position on contentious matters such as caste enumeration. The organisation has long campaigned for Hindu unity across the nation and has consistently appealed against the alleged 'division' caused by caste identities. At its Akhil Bharatiya Samanvaya Baithak (ABS) meeting in Palakkad in September, the RSS gave a clear go-ahead for caste-based enumeration. The RSS clarified that it had no objection to the collection of caste data, provided it is used for 'public welfare and not for divisive political-electoral agendas'. This statement is now being viewed as a crucial green light that enabled the Modi government to move forward without facing ideological backlash from its core support base. With both Bihar's ground-level implementation and the RSS's national-level backing, the caste census now appears set to redefine the terms of India's socio-economic and political policy, as well as its electoral discourse. For a country still grappling with the realities of social justice, representation, and economic equity, this exercise could potentially provide the empirical foundation that policymakers, welfare planners, and political leaders have long lacked. As the government prepares to embark on this massive data exercise, one thing seems clear: the politics of caste is entering a new phase—driven by numbers, not just narratives. First Published: April 30, 2025, 18:17 IST News india RSS Green Light, Bihar Model, JDU Boost: Caste Census Gets Centre's Nod
Hans India
24-04-2025
- Politics
- Hans India
In first public address after Pahalgam attack, PM Modi observes two-minute silence for victims
Madhubani: Prime Minister Narendra Modi, making his first public address in Bihar, after the dastardly terror attacks in J&K's Pahalgam, observed a two-minute silence for the victims and paid tributes to them. PM Modi said that the nation is united in expressing grief for the victims, who lost lives in the cowardly act of terror. He called on the public to observe a moment of silence for the lives lost in the Pahalgam terror attack, which claimed 26 lives, mostly tourists, on Tuesday. 'Before I begin my speech, I would like to request all of you to observe a moment of silence, to pay tribute to the families we lost in terror attacks on April 22,' PM Modi said. PM Modi said this while addressing a public rally in Bihar's Madhubani district, to mark National Panchayati Raj Day and launch an array of development projects worth over Rs 13,480 crore. "Today, on Panchayati Raj Day, the entire nation is connected with Bihar and Mithila. Several developmental projects worth thousands of crores, including in electricity and railways, have been inaugurated here," PM Modi said. Drawing a historical parallel, he added, "Bihar is the land where Bapu (Mahatma Gandhi) began his Satyagraha. His belief was clear: India's development lies in the development of its villages. This is the essence of Panchayati Raj." Highlighting achievements in rural governance, the Prime Minister said over 2 lakh Panchayats have been connected to the internet in the past decade, enabling digital access to essential documents such as birth and death certificates and property records. "After several decades of independence, India has seen the construction of a new Parliament building, and many villages have received new Panchayat buildings as well. The government prioritized the allocation of appropriate funds to the Panchayats. In the last ten years, over Rs 2 lakh crore have been allocated to the Panchayats, which has been used for the development of villages," he said. PM Modi also emphasised the digitalisation of land records to resolve long-standing land disputes at the village level. At the event, the Prime Minister presented the National Panchayat Awards to the best-performing Panchayats across the country. He laid the foundation stone of a Rs 340 crore LPG bottling plant in Hathua, Gopalganj, to improve regional gas distribution. In the power sector, he launched new projects worth Rs 1,170 crore and inaugurated existing ones under the Revamped Distribution Sector Scheme worth over Rs 5,030 crore. Rail connectivity received a significant boost with the flagging off of the Amrit Bharat Express between Saharsa and Mumbai and the launch of the Namo Bharat Rapid Rail between Jaynagar and Patna. New train services between Pipra-Saharsa and Saharsa-Samastipur were also inaugurated. Other rail projects included the dedication of the Khagaria-Alauli line, the inauguration of Supaul-Pipra and Hasanpur-Bithan lines, and two new rail overbridges at Chapra and Bagaha. Further, PM Modi distributed Rs 930 crore under the Community Investment Fund to over 2 lakh Self-Help Groups (SHGs) in Bihar under the DAY-NRLM scheme. Under PMAY-Gramin, he handed over sanction letters to 15 lakh new beneficiaries, released instalments for 10 lakh beneficiaries nationwide, and marked Grih Pravesh for 1 lakh PMAY-G and 54,000 PMAY-U homes in Bihar. This mega event comes against the backdrop of the upcoming 2025 Bihar Assembly elections.
Hindustan Times
23-04-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
PM Modi's function at Madhubani tomorrow to be sober
PATNA The scheduled visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Bideshwar Asthan at Jhanjharpur in Madhubani district will be a sober affair, said BJP state president Dilip Jaiswal and JD-U working president and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Jha. PM will address Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) and Gram Sabhas across the country from Madhubani district in Bihar on Thursday, observed as National Panchayati Raj Day. Union minister Rajiv Ranjan alias Lalan Singh said that the PM would arrive at 11.30 pm for the Panchayati Raj Day address to Panchayati Raj representatives from across the country, besides inaugurating development projects. However, like it had happened during his Bihar visit after the Pulwama attack in Jammu and Kashmir on February 14, 2019, the PM is likely to give a strong signal about the way nation could respond to the Pahalgam terror strike on tourists on Tuesday last, which claimed 26 lives. ' Jo aag aapke dil mein hai, wahi aag mere dil mein bhi hai (I feel the same anger and anguish that every Indian has over the terrorist attack in Pulwama,' he had said in Begusarai on February 18, 2019, and just a week later the India Air Force (IAF) launched airstrike in Balakot (Pakistan). The NDA leaders said that the address of the PM to the Panchayati Raj representatives would be important and the people of the region were excited to listen to him. 'After such a tragic incident unleashed by our neighbour to disturb our peace and progress, it will be simple affair, but the programme is on,' said Jaiswal. Sanjay jha said that there was a massive response to PM's programme, as they had witnessed during the last 10 days while interactigg with the people. Whatever has happened in Pahalgam is a simple incident. The footage is heart wrenching. People are on boil. The entire country is one behind the government to give a befitting response to the perpetrators of terror,' he added. During the programme, the Prime Minister will also confer the Special Category National Panchayat Awards 2025 and dedicate to the nation a series of infrastructure and welfare projects valued at approximately ₹13,500 crore, according to release issued by PIB. The projects to be inaugurated or launched include LPG bottling plants, electrification works, housing schemes, rail infrastructure, and road development initiatives, which are expected to significantly boost rural connectivity, services, and livelihoods — particularly in Bihar. The high-profile visit will also see the Prime Minister inaugurate multiple railway projects. In a significant push to regional connectivity, PM Modi will inaugurate and dedicate to the nation several railway projects through virtual mode. These include the Supaul–Pipra, Hasanpur–Bithan, Khagaria–Alauli, and Lalitgram Bypass railway lines, as well as a new low cost road over bridge (RoB) at Laheriasarai in Darbhanga. He will also flag off four new train services: Pipra–Saharsa, Saharsa–Samastipur, the Amrit Bharat Express from Saharsa to Lokmanya Tilak Terminus (Mumbai), and the Namo Bharat Rapid Rail from Jaynagar to Patna Junction.
