Jammu: Union Minister of State in PMO Dr Jitendra Singh on Monday stated that the choice of Palli Pancyat as the venue of the national level Panchayati Raj Diwas indicated the “high priority given by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Jammu & Kashmir.”
“This also reflected the Modi government’s focus to strengthen Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) in the Union Territory,” he said, while speaking to media persons, after a high level central team comprising senior officers of the Government of India, led by him (Dr Jitendra) visited Palli village – the venue of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s rally on April 24.
A team of senior J&K officers led by Additional Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo also interacted with the central team at the site of the programme at Palli Panchayat.
Dr Jitendra said that Prime Minister Modi would be undertaking this visit for the first time after the first-ever election to the District Development Councils held in Jammu & Kashmir 70 years after independence.
It was also informed that a 500 KV Solar plant was being installed on a total area of 6,408 square metres in the Palli Panchayat. This will provide clean electricity and light to 340 houses in the Panchayat, thus making it the first ‘Carbon Neutral Panchayat’ under the Government of India’s “Gram Urja Swaraj Programme.”
Dr Jitendra, who is also the Union Minister of State (independent charge) Science & Technology; Minister of State (independent charge) Earth Sciences besides MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances, Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, said, “Prime Minister Modi has been over the last eight years reiterating his government’s commitment to establish grass-root democracy in Jammu & Kashmir, with focus on development and equitable distribution of resources among all sections of society and all regions.”