Gandhinagar: Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel on Friday launched the e-foundation stone laying ceremony for 2666 village panchayat houses combined with patwari residences across Gujarat from Bhadarṇ in Anand. He emphasised that Gujarat is committed to leading village infrastructure development in line with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s focus on an Atmanirbhar Bharat.
Patel stated that to realise the Prime Minister’s goal of 100 percent saturation, the state government has taken the ambitious decision to provide each village panchayat in Gujarat with its own panchayat house along with patwari housing in the coming days.
The Chief Minister expressed confidence that the construction of these village panchayat houses and patwari residences, costing a total of ₹663 crore, will make government services more accessible to rural citizens at the local level.
During the event, which was attended by Panchayat and Rural Housing Minister Rishikesh Patel, Food and Civil Supplies Minister Ramanbhai Solanki, and State Minister for Panchayat and Rural Development Sanjaysinh Mahida, Patel also launched the state-wide ‘Chief Minister Gramotthan Yojana.’
He explained that in the first phase of the Gramotthan Yojana, villages that are tehsil headquarters but not municipalities, amounting to 114 such locations, will receive modern urban-level facilities. These include road infrastructure, water supply, sanitation, solar street lighting, e-gram services, and community halls.
Patel further said that to reduce pressure on cities and provide urban-like facilities in villages, the government aims to include over 10,000 village panchayats with populations exceeding 10,000 under the Gramotthan Yojana. This initiative will help bridge the gap between rural and urban development, fulfilling the Prime Minister’s mantra of “Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas, Sabka Prayas” through inclusive and balanced growth.
Highlighting Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visionary leadership, the Chief Minister noted that the scale and speed of development have increased. To balance the rising urbanisation pressures, special focus is being placed on rural development. He added that this is the first time such a focused programme for the upliftment of village panchayats is being implemented in the state.
Patel also spoke about water conservation efforts under the ‘Catch the Rain’ campaign, emphasising rainwater harvesting and groundwater recharge. Each legislator has been allocated ₹50 lakh as a special grant to support local recharge projects. He urged farmers to adopt cow-based natural farming to improve soil health and ensure a healthy future for coming generations.
On the occasion of Martyrs’ Day and the death anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, the Chief Minister paid tribute to the Father of the Nation and remembered the martyrs who made the highest sacrifice for the country. He said Gandhi’s message of Gram Swaraj inspiring self-reliant and independent villages remains a guiding force for nation-building today.
Minister Rishikesh Patel stated that under Bhupendra Patel’s leadership, construction work of 2666 village panchayat buildings worth ₹663 crore has commenced across the state, which will provide new momentum to rural development in Gujarat.
He congratulated Bhadarṇ’s Sarpanch Udaybhai Patel for the village’s overall development and encouraged sarpanches from various districts to draw inspiration from Bhadarṇ’s progress.
The minister also expressed the intention to establish over 10,000 modern gram secretariats where sarpanches and patwaris can work together effectively for village development, fulfilling Mahatma Gandhi’s statement that “India’s soul resides in its villages.”
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