Jaipur, Sept 2 Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma has directed officials to accelerate rural development works with a focus on roads, employment, education, sports, irrigation and farmer welfare, and announced plans to establish Atal Knowledge Centres in every gram panchayat in a phased manner.
Chairing a high-level meeting at his residence, Sharma said the state government aimed to create durable infrastructure in rural areas while improving access to employment, water, education, healthcare, irrigation, livelihoods and community facilities.
He directed officials to ensure quality, transparency and timely completion of all works, with projects selected according to local needs and public utility.
Sharma said around 3,219 km of roads would be constructed under the fourth phase of the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana, with 1,500 km targeted for completion in 2026-27 and the remaining roads next year.
Under the Atal Pragati Path scheme, concrete roads are being built in rural areas with a population of more than 5,000. So far, 764 works worth Rs 1,681 crore have been sanctioned, of which 309 have been completed.
The chief minister said 7.22 lakh workers were currently employed under the Viksit Bharat-G RAM G scheme, 2.30 lakh more than the previous year. Around 215 lakh person-days had been generated in the last two months, with women accounting for more than 72 per cent of the workforce, he said.
Sharma said 9,134 sports grounds had already been developed in villages, while work on another 2,221 would be completed soon.
As many as 457 Amrit Sanjeevani Parks are being developed at a cost of Rs 228 crore, while work is underway on 28,342 model ponds and Amrit Sarovars.
More than 11,000 Amrit Poshan Vatika gardens will be developed at a cost of Rs 550 crore. Approvals worth Rs 237 crore have already been issued for 8,501 works, Sharma said.
The government also plans to establish 457 Amrit Gramin Haats to promote the marketing of local products.
Chief Secretary V Srinivas, Additional Chief Secretary to the Chief Minister Akhil Arora, Additional Chief Secretary PWD Praveen Gupta and senior officials of the agriculture, rural development and panchayati raj departments attended the meeting. PTI
