Minister for Rural Development Panchayat Raj Law & Justice, Abdul Haq today laid foundation stone of fourth model village Gundisona-Chalgund in Lolab valley.The village will be developed on modern lines to bring at par with urban areas and Rs 13.43 crores will be spend under different sectors in the village. Minister laid the foundation stone of the model village and later addressed a huge gathering of people who had gathered in the village to welcome the minister. The people welcomed the minister by showering flowers and almonds and also garlanded the minister at various places. Women welcomed the minister by singing folk songs while people from Gujar community performed traditional cultural performances to celebrate the occasion.Deputy Commissioner Kupwara Khalid Jahangir, SP Kupwara Shamsher Husain and other senior officers of the district were also present on the occasion.Speaking on the occasion Abdul Haq said Department of R&B will spend Rs 6.38 crore in the village while RDD will spend RS 4.50 crore, PHE 72 lakh, Horticulture Rs 15.84 lakh, PDD Rs 74.50 lakh, Sports 9.50 lakh and Agriculture Department will spend Rs 36 lakh in the village to develop it as a model village with facilities at par with urban areas.
Minister said the Chalgund village will be developed as a model village in real sense and not for the sake of it. He said in past there was a trend of announcing model villages and it would not bring a visible improvement in the village.Abdul Haq said the Model Villages announced by the government will be a sustainable rural community that will be able to generate and maintain the resources necessary to improve its level of wellbeing and happiness without depleting economic, social & environmental values. He said in doing so, the Model Villages will strengthen the sustainability pillars of Livelihood, Infrastructure and Services.He said by taking benefits of all the state and centrally sponsored schemes, the model villages will be developed on modern lines without disturbing the environment of the village.While interacting with the locals, Minister said the present government is committed to provide all basic facilities to the people living in far-flung areas of the state while the developmental schemes are being implemented as per the aspirations of the people.