Launched on 11th October 2014, the Saansad Adarsh Gram Yojana (SAGY) aims to transform rural India by translating Mahatma Gandhi’s vision of an ideal village into reality. Under this scheme, each Member of Parliament (MP) adopts a Gram Panchayat and guides its holistic progress. The goal is to create model villages (“Adarsh Grams”) that become centers of local development and governance, serving as inspiration for neighboring Gram Panchayats. SAGY is demand-driven, socially inspired, and relies on active people’s participation to develop comprehensive village development plans.
Objectives
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Holistic Development:
Trigger processes for overall social, economic, human, and environmental development in the selected Gram Panchayats. -
Improved Quality of Life:
Enhance basic amenities, productivity, human development, livelihood opportunities, and social mobilization. -
Model Governance:
Develop effective local governance models that serve as schools of local development and inspire others. -
Capacity Building:
Foster community participation and ensure that even the poorest and most vulnerable members are included. -
Sustainability:
Promote environmental conservation, local cultural heritage, cleanliness, and self-reliance through community-driven initiatives.
Values
SAGY instills core values in villages to transform them into sustainable, exemplary communities:
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People’s Participation:
Engaging all sections of society in governance and development decisions. -
Antyodaya:
Ensuring the upliftment of the poorest and weakest in the village. -
Gender Equality:
Promoting respect and inclusion for women. -
Social Justice and Dignity of Labor:
Fostering fairness and valuing community service. -
Environmental Harmony:
Balancing development with ecological conservation. -
Cultural Preservation:
Upholding and promoting local traditions and heritage. -
Transparency and Accountability:
Ensuring open governance and timely grievance redressal. -
Local Self-Governance:
Empowering Gram Panchayats to act as centers of local development.
Key Areas of Focus
SAGY’s activities are broadly categorized into several development areas:
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Personal and Social Development:
Encouraging healthy lifestyles, hygiene, education, and community events. -
Human Development:
Improving healthcare, immunization, education, adult literacy, and e-literacy. -
Economic Development:
Promoting diversified agricultural practices, organic farming, crop intensification, and the development of non-timber forest produce and agro-industries. -
Rural Industrialization:
Enhancing post-harvest processing, micro-enterprises, dairy and food processing, and skill development for self-employment. -
Environmental Development:
Focusing on waste management, plantation, social forestry, watershed management, and rainwater harvesting. -
Basic Amenities and Services:
Upgrading housing, drinking water, roads, electricity, public institutions, civic infrastructure, and ICT connectivity. -
Social Security:
Providing pensions, insurance schemes, and universal access to food and healthcare services. -
Good Governance:
Strengthening Gram Panchayats, ensuring e-governance, regular Gram Sabhas, and proactive information disclosure. -
Technology and Innovation:
Leveraging modern technologies in space application, mobile solutions, agriculture, construction, and water/sanitation to drive local development.
Eligibility
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Basic Unit:
The scheme focuses on Gram Panchayats as the fundamental units of local development. -
Population Criteria:
In plain areas, the ideal population range is 3000–5000, while in hilly, tribal, and difficult areas it is 1000–3000. In districts with no exact match, Gram Panchayats approximating these population sizes may be chosen. -
Selection by MPs:
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Lok Sabha MPs select a Gram Panchayat from within their constituency (excluding their own village or that of their spouse).
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Rajya Sabha MPs select a Gram Panchayat from a district in the state from which they are elected. In urban constituencies, an MP may select a Gram Panchayat from a nearby rural area.
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Continuity:
Once selected, the Gram Panchayat remains part of the scheme until its tenure ends, even if activities have not yet commenced.
Implementation and Monitoring
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Village Development:
The selected Gram Panchayat develops a comprehensive village development plan under the guidance of the MP. -
Community Participation:
The scheme emphasizes decentralized planning with active involvement of villagers and local representatives. -
Monitoring:
Regular monitoring is conducted by local authorities to ensure timely grievance redressal and quality implementation. -
Timeline:
The initial goal was to develop three Adarsh Grams by March 2019, with plans to select one new Adarsh Gram per year thereafter up to 2024.
Application Process
Mode: Offline
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The selection process is managed by the MP through consultation with local representatives. The MP identifies suitable Gram Panchayats within their constituency.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
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What inspired SAGY?
The scheme is inspired by Mahatma Gandhi’s vision of an ideal village and aims to translate that vision into modern, sustainable rural development. -
What are the main objectives of SAGY?
To achieve holistic development of rural areas through improved basic amenities, enhanced human and social development, better livelihood opportunities, and effective local governance. -
What values does SAGY promote?
People’s participation, antyodaya, gender equality, social justice, cleanliness, environmental harmony, cultural preservation, transparency, and local self-governance. -
How are Gram Panchayats selected?
MPs select Gram Panchayats from their constituencies, ensuring they meet the population criteria and are not the MP’s or their spouse’s village. -
What is the ideal population for a Gram Panchayat under SAGY?
Approximately 3000–5000 in plain areas and 1000–3000 in hilly, tribal, or difficult areas. -
How is the scheme monitored?
Through regular meetings of Gram Sabhas, local grievance redressal mechanisms, and continuous oversight by local authorities.