JAIT: Chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Tuesday administered a pledge to residents of his ancestral village, Jait, in Sehore district to voluntarily give up all forms of intoxicants and make it a "dry village".
A day earlier, BJP leader Uma Bharti had called Chouhan a 'sadhu' and urged him to take up the cause of prohibitionChouhan travelled to Jait on the banks of Narmada, about 90km from Bhopal, to participate in a gram sabha organised to mark "Gram Gaurav Diwas", a new initiative of the state government to involve people of a village in decision-making for development.
Several resolutions moved by the CM were passed by the gram sabha by a show of hands. They ranged from cleanliness and plantation to equal treatment of girl child, and involving women and self-help groups in promoting skill development. The village agreed to a proposal to make all the houses of the same design and paint them in the same colour with money received under housing schemes to make the village look beautiful.
"Gram Gaurav Diwas is being launched in Jait and the model will be replicated in all villages. Our endeavour is to invite all the people of that village, wherever they may be settled, to the function and involve them in the development process," the CM told mediapersons at his ancestral home.
Gaurav Diwas will help locals take part in devpt projects
Gaurav Diwas will be celebrated in towns and cities as well, he said. In Bhopal, it will be held on the day the city merged with India and in Indore, on the birth anniversary of Devi Ahilya.
“It is an attempt to bring back people to their own villages and cities so that they can contribute to the development of their ancestral places,” Chouhan said.
Moving the first resolution at the gram sabha, the CM said all villagers must ensure cleanliness and collect all the garbage in dustbins. “How will the dustbins be arranged?” he asked. Then, looking at his son Kunal, he said: “Perhaps Kunal can help with this”. Kunal came to the mike and said he will arrange the dustbins from his dairy funds.
The garbage will be dumped in a pit to turn it into manure, another resolution said. The CM also urged the gram sabha to pass a resolution to ensure that everyone should plant a tree on occasions like birthdays and death anniversaries of their ancestors.
The villagers should take joint responsibility of bright students so that they are not deprived of quality education, he said, and moved a resolution to celebrate the birth of a daughter through drumbeats and distribution of sweets. He also asked the villagers to donate foodgrains and other essential items to the anganwadis for providing nutritional food to the village children. Village youth can be trained in different vocations so that they can get jobs, Chouhan said, and asked his wife Sadhna Singh to train women so that they run self-help groups, produce incense sticks or pickles, and get orders for sewing uniforms.
The CM directed officials to ensure that youths of Jait get the benefit of government schemes to start enterprises so that they have an alternate source of income besides agriculture.
A resolution was passed to build a grand temple in the village and arrange food for those undertaking the Narmada Parikrama. He also asked villagers to give their land for development of the village in lieu of getting land at other places. Chouhan said he would give some of his land near the village for development.
The CM sanctioned various development projects for the village, including roads and a veterinary hospital, demanded by villagers.
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