With the virtual inauguration of Smart Village Campaign Phase-Il through video conferencing by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, the State Government’s ambitious Rural Transformation Program formally kicks start in the district.In the Smart Village Campaign Phase-Il (2020-2022), an amount of Rs. 102.85 crore has been laid out for District SAS Nagar for holistic development of all the 341 villages which would subsequently lead to improvement in the quality of life of people. It seeks to make villages ‘smart’ on the lines of smart cities that will help them become self-reliant, clean and hygienic.Development works to be undertaken include construction of Community Centers, Dharamshalas, Drinking Water Supply, Rain Water Harvesting, Solid Waste Management, Renovation of Ponds, Disposal of Sullage Water, construction of streets , drains, playgrounds , stadiums, gymnasiums, installation of Solar Street Lights, construction of the bus shelters, development of the cremation grounds / graveyards, community library, schools and Anganwadis among others. Finance Minister Manpreet Singh Badal delivered his address to the Panchayats from District Administrative Complex, SAS Nagar. He exhorted the Gram Panchyats to spend the hard earned money of the people of Punjab, judiciously.
Two Sarpanches from District SAS Nagar namely Rupinder Kaur of village Patton and Jagtar Singh from village Bakarpur of Block Kharar were specially invited to join the Chief Minister in his office during the event.Pertinently, for the virtual inauguration and laying of the foundation stones, 1500 locations were chosen across the state. Out of which 39 locations were from SAS Nagar. The Panchayats of the villages surrounding these locations also participated in the programme by converging on these spots. The programme was viewed on big screens and projectors. The COVID norms, mask wearing and social distancing were adhered.It may be observed that during the Smart Village Campaign Phase-l an amount of Rs 16.96 crore was spent on the development of all the villages in the district SAS Nagar but in the Phase II investment into development projects has been scaled up enormously.The programme was digitally attended by all state cabinet ministers, PPCC president Sunil Jakhar, and key officials, including Chief Secretary Vini Mahajan, from various locations through video conferencing. All Congress MLAs from Punjab also participated in the programme. Deputy Commissioner Girish Dayalan joined Finance Minister during video conferencing from District Administrative Complex, SAS Nagar.