Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas:
A synopsis of 11 Years of Shri Narendra Modi in Gujarat as the CM!
Shri Narendra Modi, on October 7th 2012, completed 11 commendable years as the CM of Gujarat! On the day, he expressed his heart out on his blog describing the wonderful & satisfying journey of giving an inclusive make-over to Gujarat and placing the State on the World map!
You can read the entire blog here…
There have been numerous initiatives that have made Gujarat the cynosure of all eyes in the World! Let’s take a quick look at them below…
When he assumed office in 2001, Gujarat was reeling under the effects of a severe Earthquake that had struck the state on the morning of 26th January 2001. But, with speedy rehabilitation and reconstruction initiatives by the Government, Gujarat began the march to development in a very short period of time! Now, Kutch has emerged as one of India’s fastest growing districts.
Back in 2001, people often requested Shri Modi to at least provide electricity at the time of their evening meal, but ‘Team Gujarat’ went even further and conceived the ‘Jyotigram Yojana’ in 2003 that provided 24/7, 3-phase uninterrupted power even to the villages of Gujarat. The results of this are for all to see- not only has the rural economy been substantially empowered but also migration to cities has reduced.
The initiative was the first of its kind across the nation. But, Shri Modi went a step ahead in April this year when Gujarat dedicated 600 MW solar power plant to the nation! Gujarat is also making quick progress in other sources of renewable energy.
Along with power, a determined effort was made to harness the Jal Shakti and in 2002 came WASMO, an initiative that seeks to provide potable water in all villages across the state. Combining public participation and effective water management, today Gujarat has over 17,700 water committees across the state! It is interesting that most of these committees are run by women and WASMO bagged the United Nations Public Service Award for ‘fostering participation in policy making decisions through innovative mechanisms.’
Read: Gujarat CM’s vision in water management yields outstanding results
An area in which Gujarat has left an impeccable mark of Governance is primary education and especially for the girl child. In 2004, Gujarat Govt. commenced a massive enrollment drive called the Kanya Kelavani and Shala Praveshotsav. Today there is 100% enrollment in school and the dropout rates have successfully reduced to 2% over the last decade.
Watch: Videos of Shri Narendra Modi speaking on Shala Praveshotsav & Girl child education
| Shala Praveshotsav – |
Massive Jump in School Enrollments Kanya Kelavani -
Behind the development of Gujarat is the power of Nari Shakti! To make a difference in the lives of the women of Gujarat, the Chiranjeevi Yojana was born in 2005 with an aim to provide pioneering free of cost medical treatment to women in hospitals. For effective participation of women in the development process Nari Gaurav Niti was initiated in 2006. In order to make women financially independent the Mission Mangalam initiative was launched in 2010. Today, it is a matter of pride that businesses worth Rs. 1,600 crore are in the hands of 2.5 lakh Sakhi Mandals. You can imagine the difference it has made in the lives of so many women of Gujarat!
Watch:
Earlier Gujarat was known for its industry and with a perpetual drought threat and lack of perennial rivers, agriculture and Gujarat were seen as stark contrasts. No longer today! Krishi Mahotsavs have transformed Gujarat’s agrarian landscape. Not only has agriculture income increased over 4 times, Gujarat’s agriculture is growing at a record 11% for the last decade.
Of course, industrial growth has scaled colossal heights in the past decade. Gujarat is home to a wide canvas of industries and with the biennial Vibrant Gujarat Summits started in 2003, the state has received tremendous investment from all over the world.
Read: Shri Narendra Modi’s blog after completion of VGGIS 2011
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No progress is complete till there is a focus on delivery of effective healthcare. Nirogi Bal Varsh was launched in the year 2008 to provide multiple initiatives to improve the health of children. Due to this initiative, Infant Mortality Rate in Gujarat reduced from 60 to 39. This year, another path breaking decision of giving poor patients a cover of up to Rs. 2 lakh for critical treatment was taken under the Mukhya Mantri Amrutam (MAA) Yojana. Also, Mission Balam Sukham was launched to combat malnutrition in children.
Gujarat’s 108 Emergency services running on the roads since 2007 have already been lauded for their operations all over. They have saved over 1.75 lakh lives and provided assistance in 10 lakh pregnancy cases.
In order to free people from the clutches of poverty the Garib Kalyan Melas were launched in 2009 in which over 85 lakh poor beneficiaries have received assistance worth Rs. 13,000 crore through over 1000 Garib Kalyan Melas. As a means to decentralize administration and empowering our Talukas the ATVT Yojana came into being and Jan Seva Kendras were established that provide 124 kinds of services to the people.
To create world class infrastructure in the cities of Gujarat, several face-lift activities for cities have been undertaken by the Gujarat Government which have again been recognized internationally. The Sabarmati riverfront, an area that was earlier known for playing cricket or holding circuses is now a vibrant cultural and tourist spot. Not only this, but it has also been recognized as one of the most innovative projects in the world. Ahmedabad’s famous and successful BRTS system JANMARG has proved to be a wonderful case study of revolutionizing urban transport.
Sabarmati Riverfront
Shri Narendra Modi, while paying attention to the urban development, has also given a great impetus to the development of Gujarat’s villages. Shri Modi gave the idea of ‘Rurban’ with the mantra of Aatma Gav Ki, Suvidha Sheher Ki. Preserving the unique identity of the village, the Government invigorated the villages with facilities normally associated with cities.
In September 2011, Shri Narendra Modi began a journey called Sadbhavana Mission which started from Ahmedabad & concluded at the auspicious Ambaji Shaktipith after the observance of 36 fasts in different districts. These fasts not only brought about a deeper sense of peace, harmony & brotherhood in the people of Gujarat but also led to many development activities. 42 lakh poor children were provided with nutritious meals, Rs. 4 Crore were donated to Kanya Kelavani Nidhi, for girl child education in the state, and much more…
Shri Narendra Modi has also made an effective use of technology to address and connect with people around the World and the government has won several e-governance awards nationally & internationally. The SWAGAT initiative to redress people’s grievances has proved to be a great example of Gujarat’s e-governance initiatives and also has won UN award! The initiative eMPOWER was launched recently by Shri Modi which aims at introducing basic computer technology to the youngsters of Gujarat to make them connected, confident & empowered! Recently, Shri Modi also held a Google+ Hangout on 31st August 2012 which was the 1st of its kind in India to be hosted by any politician. People from 116 countries asked questions to the CM and millions watch the Hangout LIVE on internet and TV!
Read about the most popular G+ Hangout of India #ModiHangout here
These initiatives encapsulate the unique journey of development adopted in Gujarat in 11 years. In these years, Team Gujarat has achieved a lot but Shri Modi says there is a lot more which is yet to be achieved. During Vivekananda Yuva Vikas Yatra recently, he told people that in the coming years they will have a Gujarat that is both Bhavya (Grand) and Divya (Divine).
