Gandhinagar, Friday: Gujarat’s initiative to empower all the 225 talukas in the state through the Aapno-Taluka-Vibrant Taluka (ATVT) should serve as a path-finder to the nation in decentralization of power. This was stated by Chief Minister Narendra Modi at the second regional seminar on ATVT for the north Gujarat region at the Mahatma Mandir here today.
He exhorted 2,500 taluka-level officers in the state to prepare own development plan as per the specific needs of respective taluka, set own standard of efficiency and credibility. It is a unique opportunity for each taluka to excel and each official to identify with the people, their problems and solve them to the best of their capacity, he said.Describing the initiative as historic, Mr. Modi said, it required collective thinking on the part of 2,500 officials to make a success of the scheme. Gujarat has crossed many milestones in the path of development and has emerged as the most vibrant state. But it is not the time to sit back and bask in glory.
The Chief Minister said that Gujarat Government has shown to the world that its administrative skill is yards ahead of other states as it has successfully implemented various schemes for the development of the nation. Taluka being the smallest administrative unit, it is the best platform to solve the people’s problems. Firstly, it became Vibrant Gujarat and then 26 Vibrant Districts, and now it is on way to become 225 Vibrant Talukas, he said.
Prominent among those present on the occasion were Revenue Minister Anandiben Patel, Minister of State Parbatbhai Patel, Chief Secretary A.K. Joti, Principal Secretary (Revenue) P. Paneervel, besides senior district level officers. The deliberations were held in multiple groups, too.
While the first such seminar for the Saurashtra & Kutch region was held at Rajkot on Thursday, the third and last one for the central and south Gujarat region is scheduled to be held in Vadodara on Saturday.
