NT NETWORK
Panaji
Revealing details as regards implementation of the village-level action plan under ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat, Swayampurna Goa’, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Saturday said that by the end of November 2020, all 191 village panchayats and 14 municipalities will be introduced to this initiative.
“The junior as well as senior scale officers of various government departments will be trained to visit the village panchayat areas, co-operative societies and other such bodies, at least twice a month, for the smooth implementation of this initiative,” he added.
Sawant also said that he himself and his ministers will visit all the village panchayats by the
end of November.
“Till now, the implementation of the particular initiative has begun in 41 village panchayats and related primary discussion has already taken place with the authorities at these panchayats,” he added, pointing out that human development will be at the core of this initiative.
The Chief Minister, who was interviewed by Goa Doordarshan on ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat, Swayampurna Goa’, said that Swayampurna Goa is the extension of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Atmanirbhar
Bharat initiative.
“In fact, Goa has already implemented 27 out of the total 80 schemes of the Centre under Atmanirbhar Bharat through various state government departments and more 30 to 35 such schemes will be implemented in Goa, in the future as soon as related guidelines are received by the state government,”
he noted.
Sawant said the Swayampurna Goa initiative will be implemented in short-term, midterm and long-term phases.
He also maintained that the implementation strategy is based on a report of the related survey as conducted by the higher education directorate.
Citing some examples, the Chief Minister said the particular initiative will cover various activities right from setting up of poultry farm and goat cluster right up to floriculture.
“The government will also set up a rice mill in Goa to process the rice cultivated in the state, which will automatically stop the export of whatever little rice grown here,” he informed, adding that 90 per cent of jackfruits grown here are wasted due to the absence of a processing unit; the government also intending to provide this facility soon.
Sawant further said that all 191 village panchayats in Goa will be linked to a common service centre so that various government certificates are made available at the panchayat office itself, and the people will not have to visit the office of the mamlatdar/ block development officer.
He also informed that people with different skills residing in rural areas, such as plumbers, electricians and so on will be identified through skill mapping, and then linked to industrial sector as well as hospitality industry, thus facilitating their employment.
It was also mentioned that ‘Swayampurna Mitra’, a friend of public working under the particular initiative and who could be government employees or college professor, will visit rural areas and extend help right from education to career of the youth.
On a parting note, Sawant said that cash prizes as high as Rs 25 lakh will be annually given to the village panchayats performing well under the ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat, Swayampurna Goa’ initiative, and such self-governing bodies honoured at a public function.
