New Delhi April 11 : on Minister for State in Prime Minister Office, PMO Dr Jitendra Singh on Monday inspected the work being carried out at a solar plant in Palli Panchayat at Samba district of Jammu and Kashmir, ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit on 24th April. Speaking to media persons after the visit, Dr Jitendra Singh said, the choice of Palli Pancyat as the venue of the national level Panchayati Raj Diwas indicates the high priority given by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Jammu & Kashmir and the Modi government’s focus to strengthen Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) in the on Territory. “Prime Minister Modi will be undertaking this visit for the first time after the first-ever election to the District Development Councils held in Jammu & Kashmir 70 years after independence” he said. The 500 KV Solar Plant is being installed on a total area of 6,408 square metres and will provide clean electricity and light to 340 houses in the Panchayat, thus making it the first Carbon Neutral Panchayat under the Government of India’s Gram Urja Swaraj Programme. Dr Jitendra Singh reiterated his government’s commitment to establish grassroots democracy in Jammu & Kashmir, with focus on development and equitable distribution of resources among all sections of society and all regions. The other officials who accompanied the on Minister to Palli Panchayat included, Chetan Prakash Jain, CMD, Central Electronics Limited, PSE under Department of Scientific and Industrial Research, on Ministry of Science and Technology, which is in the process of setting up of a Solar Plant in the Palli Panchayat in a record time of 20 days. JA RKM