Jammu: Palli village in Samba district is gearing up to host the Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during his forthcoming visit to Jammu on April 24, for his grand interactive session with Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) to commemorate the nationwide “Panchayati Raj Diwas.”
Maintaining tradition to hold interactions with the representatives of Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) in different parts of the country, PM Modi has chosen J&K this time for his annual interactive session to mark the celebration of “Panchayati Raj Day.”
According to J&K BJP general secretary (organisation) Ashok Kaul, the efforts were also underway for arranging a meeting of the representatives of Kashmiri Pandits community with the Prime Minister during his visit.
While addressing a function of Kashmiri Pandits (KPs), Kaul said that this would provide an opportunity to the community members to raise their all concerns and issues with the Prime Minister.
This will be the Prime Minister’s first visit to either of the capital cities of the J&K, after the abrogation of Article 370 and the erstwhile State was truncated to a Union Territory and Ladakh was carved out as a separate UT out of it. His last visit to the erstwhile J&K state was on February 3, 2019.
The Prime Minister, however, had visited the Rajouri sector and Nowshera sector along the Line of Control to celebrate Diwali with the army personnel on October 27, 2019 and November 3, 2021 respectively.
Even though the event will be physically held at Samba’s Palli village bordering Jammu district, lakhs of Gram Panchayats from across the country will be able to connect and watch the event virtually.
Palli village is being developed as the first village in J&K to be fully powered by solar-energy.
To make it happen before the Prime Minister’s visit, on April 4, the Financial Commissioner (Additional Chief Secretary) Finance Department Atal Dulloo and the Commissioner Secretary Social Welfare Department Sheetal Nanda reviewed the arrangements underway in the village.
Earlier on March 28, the Union Ministers Dr Jitendra Singh and Giriraj Singh had reviewed preparations for the Prime Minister’s forthcoming Jammu visit on April 24.
It was decided that an exhibition showcasing the latest innovations would be put up enabling farmers, Sarpanchs, Panchs and village heads to improve their income and their produce.
Amongst important innovations that are planned to be showcased are geospatial technology for rural mapping and farmers, apps usable by farmers for weather forecast for next five days, lavender cultivation famously known as purple revolution, biotechnology innovation to increase the produce of apple in the same area of land to increase farmer’s income, drone application for irrigation and pesticide or nutrient spray, waste treatment, increasing shelf life of fruits and vegetables through atomic radiation etc.