NEW DELHI: At a time when the government is desperately trying to give a fillip to welfare schemes, the high profile Saansad Adarsh Gram Yojana, launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in October 2014, appears to be floundering.
Under the scheme, each member of Parliament would take the responsibility of developing physical and institutional infrastructure in three villages by 2019. The goal was to develop three model villages by March 2019, of which one would be achieved by 2016. Thereafter, five such villages (one each year) would be selected and developed by 2024.
Phase 3 of the scheme has already started, but only 62 Lok Sabha members out of 543 have identified the gram panchayats they want to adopt and transform into ideal villages.
From the Rajya Sabha, only 11 members out of the 243 have identified the gram panchayats for integrated development.
From Uttar Pradesh, where the BJP won 71 seats out of 80 in 2014, only 27 MPs have identified the villages under the scheme. Modi has adopted Kakarhia village in Varanasi but Congress president Sonia Gandhi and vice-president Rahul Gandhi are yet to select any village in their parliamentary seats for development in the third phase.
In the first phase, while Sonia and Rahul picked Urwa village in Rae Bareli and Jagdishpur in Amethi respectively, the mother-son duo gave the scheme a miss in the second phase that was launched in early 2016.
Among the central ministers, Rajnath Singh, Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti, Uma Bharti and Satyapal Singh have not marked the village they would like to develop.
In the second phase, Rajnath had picked Harauni village of Lucknow and in the first phase he chose Benti gram panchayat.
According to the Rural Development Ministry, which is overseeing the scheme, the village development plan would broadly cover activities from eight sectors -- personal development, human development, social development, economic development, environmental development, basic amenities, infrastructure, social security and good governance.
“The village development plan is to be moved for approval only after obtaining the consent of the member of Parliament. The plan is to be approved at two levels, first at the gram sabha and then at the district level committee chaired by the district collector,” the ministry said.
In the first phase, 500 Lok Sabha members had identified and adopted villages, while from the Rajya Sabha 203 members had picked a village. In the first phase, only one Lok Sabha member from Uttar Pradesh, Akshay Yadav of the Samajwadi Party, failed to make use of the scheme. Thirty six MPs from West Bengal did not pick any village in the first phase. Even in the second phase 39 members from West Bengal failed to identify and develop the villages in their respective parliamentary constituencies.
Losing steam
Phase 1
Lok Sabha: 500 members identify gram panchayats for development
Rajya Sabha: 203 members identify model villages
Phase 2
Lok Sabha: 309 members identify gram panchayats
Rajya Sabha: 104 members identify gram panchayats
Phase 3
Lok Sabha: Only 62 members have adopted model villages
Rajya Sabha: Only 12 members have identified gram panchayats