CHANDIGARH: Rahul Gandhi, along with Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Saturday kickstarted the second phase of Punjab's Smart Village Campaign (SVC) with the virtual launch of a Rs 2,775-crore campaign to power state’s rural transformation.
While Rahul launched the campaign from Delhi, the CM and a host of ministers, officials and sarpanches, joined in from a total of 1,500 digital locations across the state, paving the way for execution of 48,910 works.
Amarinder said that the scheme would lead to the creation of enormous rural infrastructure to raise the quality of life by capitalising on technological advances, as part of his government’s rural transformation strategy. He promised adequate allocation for the schemes to be undertaken in the second phase after the successful culmination of Phase-I, launched last year for the execution of 19,132 works at a cost of Rs 835 crore.
He said the first phase of the campaign had focused on core areas such as renovation of ponds, streetlights, parks... and solid waste management. For the second phase, adequate funds had already been transferred to all 13,264 village bodies, Amarinder said, adding that his government wanted to assist house-owners who have temporary roofs with the intention is to provide the rural poor with better housing facilities.