The Ambala district administration has drawn up a plan to launch a 100-day Ambala Gram Uday Abhiyan aimed at accelerating rural development and ensuring 100 per cent implementation of existing schemes and utilisation of resources.
Deputy Commissioner Sachin Gupta said a review meeting of the Development and Panchayats Department and Panchayati Raj Institutions was held to discuss the progress of rural development schemes, infrastructure projects, community facilities and livelihood initiatives being implemented across the district. The administration will focus on making every village in Ambala a modern, clean, green and well-equipped model village, with perceptible improvements in the everyday lives of residents.
“The officials have been directed that every sanctioned work must culminate in a functional facility, every completed asset must be properly maintained, and every village should be able to demonstrate visible improvements in its physical environment and community amenities. We want people to actually see and experience the change in their villages — better community facilities, cleaner surroundings, improved water management, green spaces, sports and learning facilities, and more responsive public services,” the DC said.
Under the initiative, every gram panchayat will identify and work towards five outcomes. He said that the campaign would specifically focus on perceptible changes which villagers can see and use, such as functional community buildings, better-maintained libraries and gyms, improved village streets and lighting, cleaner public spaces, better water bodies, sports facilities and more accessible panchayat services.
During the review meeting, the DC expressed concern over the number of incomplete works in the district and directed the department to undertake a special 30-day exercise for their resolution. As per the review, 814 works are currently incomplete, of which 706 have recorded zero expenditure since inception. Ambala-I alone accounts for 531 incomplete works, including 461 with zero expenditure since inception.
The DC further directed each gram panchayat to identify its three most critical garbage, grey-water or waterlogging points and take steps to resolve them.
Reviewing Self Help Group initiatives, the DC sought details of the products being prepared by SHGs, the number of women associated with them and the income being generated.
He said the Ambala district has performed strongly on SHG institutionalisation, with 131 SHGs formed against a target of 100, while village organisations and cluster level federations have also exceeded their respective targets. The Deputy Commissioner directed officers to focus on enterprise development, technology, market linkages and sustainable income generation.
