Saansad Adarsh Gram Yojana

Description
Introduction Saansad Adarsh Gram Yojana SAGY was launched on 11th October 2014 with the aim to translate the comprehensive vision of Mahatma Gandhi about an ideal Indian village into reality, keeping in view the present context. Under SAGY, each Member of Parliament adopts a Gram Panchayat and guides its holistic progress giving importance to social development at par with infrastructure. The 'Adarsh Grams' are to become schools of local development and governance, inspiring other Gram Panchayats. By involving villagers and leveraging scientific tools, a village development plan is prepared under the leadership of a Member of Parliament. The distinct feature of this Yojana is that it is: Demand Driven, Inspired by Society, and Based on People's Participation. Objectives To trigger processes that lead to the holistic development of the identified Gram Panchayats To substantially improve the standard of living and quality of life of all sections of the population through - Improved basic amenities, Higher productivity, Enhanced human development, Better livelihood opportunity, Reduced disparities, Access to rights and entitlements, Wider social mobilization, Enriched social capital To generate models of local level development and effective local government which can motivate and inspire neighboring, Gram Panchayats to learn and adapt. To nurture the identified Adarsh Grams as schools of local development to train other gram panchayats Values Far beyond mere infrastructure development, SAGY aims at instilling specific values in the villages and their people so that they get transformed into models for others. These values include: 1. Adopting people’s participation as an end in itself – ensuring the involvement of all sections of society in all aspects related to the life of the village, especially in decision-making related to governance 2. Adhering to Antyodaya – enabling the “poorest and the weakest person” in the village to achieve well-being 3. Affirming gender equality and ensuring respect for women 4. Guaranteeing social justice 5. Installing dignity of labor and the spirit of community service and voluntarism 6. Promoting a culture of cleanliness 7. Living in consonance with nature – ensuring a balance between development and ecology 8. Preserving and promoting local cultural heritage 9. Inculcatng mutual cooperation, self-help, and self-reliance 10. Fostering peace and harmony in the village community 11. Bringing about transparency, accountability, and probity in public life 12. Nurturing local self-governance 13. Adhering to the values enshrined in the Fundamental Rights and Fundamental Duties of the Indian Constitution

Benefits
• The elements of an Adarsh Gram would be contexted specific. However, it is still possible to broadly identify the essential activities. They would include:
• 1. Personal Development
• 2. Social Development
• 3. Human Development
• 4. Economic Development
• 5. Environmental Development
• 6. Social Security
• 7. Basic amenities & services
• 8. Good Governance
• 1. Inculcating hygienic behavior and practices
• 2. Fostering healthy habits including daily exercise and games
• 3. Reducing risk behavior- alcoholism, smoking, substance abuse, etc.
• 1. Universal access to basic health facilities consisting of health-card, medical examination
• 2. Total immunization
• 3. Balancing the sex-ratio
• 4. 100% institutional delivery
• 5. Improving nutrition status for all, with special focus on children, adolescent girls, pregnant women, and lactating mothers
• 6. Strong focus on the special needs of Persons with Disability (PWD), especially children and women
• 7. Universal access to education facilities up to Class X and retention
• 8. Conversion of schools into ‘smart schools'. Smart schools will have IT-enabled classrooms, e-libraries, and web-based teaching and will make all students e-literate required for providing quality education
• 9. Adult literacy
• 10. E-literacy
• 11. Village libraries including e-libraries
• 1. Activities for the promotion of voluntarism like Bharat Nirman Volunteers
• 2. Building the capacity of the people to fully participate and contribute to local development
• 3. Activities for honoring village elders, and local role models especially women, freedom fighters, and martyrs
• 4. Activities for violence and crime-free villages such as:
• 4.1 Setting up Citizen Committees
• 4.2 Sensitization, especially in youth
• 5. Village sports and folk arts festivals
• 6. Having a village song to instill a sense of pride among the people
• 7. Celebrating ‘Village Day’
• 8. Proactive steps for inclusion and integration of socially excluded groups, especially Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes
• Promoting diversified agricultural and allied livelihoods, including livestock and horticulture, through-
• 1. Organic farming
• 2. Soil health cards
• 3. Crop intensification such as SRI
• 4. Setting up of seed banks
• 5. Collection and value addition to Non-Timber Forest Produce, Livestock development including Gobar Bank, cattle hostel
• 6. Livestock development including Gobar Bank, cattle hostel
• 7. Micro-irrigation
• 8. Agro-service centers
• 1. Post-harvest technology applications
• 2. Micro-enterprises
• 3. Dairy development and processing
• 4. Food processing
• 5. Traditional Industries
• 6. Skill Development of all eligible youth for self-employment and placement
• 7. Village Tourism including eco-tourism
• All the above activities should focus particularly on lifting households out of poverty, for which organizing and federating women SHGs, providing employment to all workers, and bringing about financial inclusion are very important.
• 1. Activities for a clean and green village consist of:
• 1.1 Providing toilets in each household and in all public institutions and ensuring their proper use
• 1.2 Appropriate solid and liquid waste management
• 2. Roadside plantations
• 3. Tree plantation in accordance with local preferences in homesteads, schools, and public institutions – including green walkways
• 4. Social forestry
• 5. Watershed management especially renovation and revival of traditional water bodies
• 6. Rainwater harvesting- rooftop as well as others
• 7. Reducing local pollution of air, water, and land
• 1. Pucca houses for all houseless poor/poor living in kutcha houses
• 2. Drinking water, preferably treated piped water with household taps
• 3. Internal all-weather roads with covered drains
• 4. All weather road connectivity to the main road network
• 5. Electricity connection to all households and street lights including from alternative sources of energy, especially solar
• 6. Pucca infrastructure for public institutions- Anganwadis, schools, health institutions, 7. Gram Panchayat Office, and libraries
• 8. Civic infrastructure including community halls, buildings for SHG federations, playgrounds, and burial grounds/ crematoria
• 9. Village markets
• 10. Infrastructure for PDS outlets
• 11. Micro mini banks /post offices/ATMs
• 12. Broadband connectivity and Common Service Centres
• 13. Telecom connectivity
• 14. CCTVs in public places
• 1. Pensions for all eligible families- old age, disability, and widow
• 2. Insurance schemes like Aam Aadmi Bima Yojana
• 3. Health insurance- RSBY
• 4. PDS- universal access to all eligible households
• 1. Strengthening of local democracy through strong and accountable Gram Panchayats and active Gram Sabhas
• 2. e-Governance results in better service delivery
• 3. Provision of UIDAI cards to all
• 4. Ensuring regular and punctual attendance of government and panchayat staff
• 5. Time-bound service delivery in line with Department’s Citizens Charter
• 6. Holding of Mahila Gram Sabhas before every Gram Sabha
• 7. Holding a Gram Sabha at least 4 times a year
• 8. Holding of Bal Sabhas every quarter
• 9. Proactive disclosure of all information pertaining to the implementation of the program in the public domain and through wall-writing, and notice boards in the local language. This should necessarily include the list of beneficiaries, item-wise budgets, and expenditures.
• 9. Gram Panchayat acting as an information facilitation center
• 10. Timely redressal of grievances filed by people, such that:
• 10.1 Grievances of all nature to be submitted to the Gram Panchayat / Charge Officer and dated receipt to be given
• 10.2 Grievances are to be redressed within three weeks along with a written reply
• Institutionalization of regular open platforms for the airing of grievances and their redressal, coordinated by the Gram Panchayat
• Adopting and adapting technology and introducing innovation is critical to this program. These would work broadly in the following areas:
• 1. Space application and remote sensing
• 2. Mobile-based technology
• 3. Agriculture-related technology and innovations
• 4. Livelihood-related technologies and innovations
• 5. Appropriate building construction technologies
• 6. Road construction technologies
• 7. Water supply and sanitation-related technologies

Eligibility Criteria
1. The Gram Panchayat should be the basic unit.
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3. The village should have a population of 3000-5000 in plain areas and 1000-3000 in hilly, tribal, and difficult areas. (In districts where this unit size is not available, Gram Panchayats approximating the desirable population size may be chosen.)
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5. The MP would identify a suitable Gram Panchayat from the rural area of any district in the country, other than his/her own village or that of his/her spouse.
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7. The MP will identify one Gram Panchayat to be taken up immediately, and two others to be taken up a little later.
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9. Lok Sabha MP has to choose a Gram Panchayat from within his/her constituency.
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11. Rajya Sabha MP has to choose a Gram Panchayat from the rural area of a district of his/her choice in the State from which he/she is elected.
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13. In the case of urban constituencies, (where there are no Gram Panchayats), the MP will identify a Gram Panchayat from a nearby rural constituency.
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15. The Gram Panchayats once selected by the MP (whose tenures have ended on account of resignation or otherwise) would be continued as such under SAGY irrespective of whether activities have already been initiated in the GP under SAGY or not. The newly elected MPs will have the option to select the GP of their choice and two more subsequently by 2019.
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17. > ***Note:***
18. Primarily, the goal is to develop three Adarsh Grams by March 2019, of which one would be achieved by 2016. Thereafter, five such Adarsh Grams (one per year) will be selected and developed by 2024.

Application Process
Step 1: The Member of Parliament (MP) would identify a suitable Gram Panchayat from the rural area of any district in the country, other than his/her own village or that of his/her spouse.
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The Member of Parliament (MP) would identify a suitable Gram Panchayat from the rural area of any district in the country, other than his/her own village or that of his/her spouse.

Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Q1. What Is The Inspiration For Saansad Adarsh Gram Yojana (SAGY)?
A: Answer:- Ideology of Gram Swaraj of Mahatma Gandhi is the inspiration for Saansad Adarsh Gram Yojana (SAGY)

Q: Q2. What Is The Goal Of Saansad Adarsh Gram Yojana (SAGY)?
A: Answer:- The goal of Saansad Adarsh Gram Yojana (SAGY) is to translate the comprehensive and organic vision of Mahatma Gandhi into reality, keeping in view the present context

Q: Q3. What Are The Values That Saansad Adarsh Gram Yojana (SAGY) Propagates?
A: Answer:- The values that Saansad Adarsh Gram Yojana (SAGY) propagates are

Adopting people's participation as an end in itself ensuring the involvement of all sections of society in all aspects related to the life of village, especially in decision making related to governance
Adhering to Antyodaya enabling the "poorest and the weakest person" in the village to achieve well-being
Affirming gender equality and ensuring respect for women
Guaranteeing social justice
Instilling dignity of labour and the spirit of community service and voluntarism
Promoting a culture of cleanliness
Living in consonance with nature development and ecology ensuring a balance between
Preserving and promoting local cultural heritage
Inculcating mutual cooperation, self-help and self-reliance
Fostering peace and harmony in the village community xi. Bringing about transparency, accountability and probity in public life
Nurturing local self-governance
Adhering to the values enshrined in the Fundamental Rights and Fundamental Duties of the Indian Constitution

Q: Q4. What Are The Main Objectives Of Saansad Adarsh Gram Yojana (SAGY)?
A: Answer:- The main objectives of Saansad Adarsh Gram Yojana (SAGY) are

To trigger processes which lead to holistic development of the identified Gram Panchayats
To substantially improve the standard of living and quality of life of all sections of the population through
improved basic amenities
higher productivity
enhanced human development
better livelihood opportunities
reduced disparities
access to rights and entitlements
wider social mobilization
enriched social capital
To generate models of local level development and effective local governance which can motivate and inspire neighbouring Gram Panchayats to learn and adapt
To nurture the identified Adarsh Grams as schools of local development to train other Gram Panchayats

Q: Q5. What Are The Challenges Related To Local Level Developments As Revealed By Past Experiences?
A: Answer:- Few challenges related to local level development are

Inability to develop a shared vision of development over a longer period
Disconnect between development inputs delivered and the genuine needs of the community
Lack of participation of all sections of society, especially the marginalized and the aged
Focus on infrastructure and expenditure ignoring the social aspects and sustainable outcomes
Reliance primarily on government grants and not emphasising community contributions and self help
Absence of organic convergence of different schemes
Unfair decisions regarding allocation of benefits to locations and households leading to alienation
Political partisanship perceived and real
Disregard of socio-cultural values of different sections of the community
Existence of multiple power structures and absence of a reconciling mechanism
Ignoring environmental concerns for immediate gains
Prevalence of social evils like drinking, dowry, casteism, communalism and discrimination against women

Q: Q6. In Order To Achieve The Objectives Of Saansad Adarsh Gram Yojana (SAGY), What Should Be The Approach?
A: Answer:- SAGY would be guided by the following approach:

Leveraging the leadership, capacity, commitment and energy of the Members of Parliament (MP) to develop model Gram Panchayats.
Engaging with and mobilizing the community for participatory local level development.
Converging different government programmes, private and voluntary initiatives to achieve comprehensive development in tune with people's aspirations and local potential.
Building partnerships with voluntary organisations, co-operatives and academic and research institutions.
Focusing on outcomes and sustainability

Q: Q7. What Areas Should Saansad Adarsh Gram Yojana (SAGY) Activities Should Focus Upon?
A: Answer:- Saansad Adarsh Gram Yojana (SAGY) activities should focus on holistic development covering personal development, human development, social development and economic development of the citizens.

Q: Q8. What Activities Can Be Taken Up Under The Personal Development Of The Villagers?
A: Answer:- The activities that can be taken up under the personal development of the villagers are

Inculcating hygienic behaviour and practices
Fostering healthy habits including daily exercise and games
Reducing risk behaviour-alcoholism, smoking, substance abuse, etc.

Q: Q9. What Activities Can Be Taken Up Under The Human Development Of The Village?
A: Answer:- The activities that can be taken up under the human development of the village are

Universal access to basic health facilities consisting of health card, medical examination
Total immunization
Balancing the sex-ratio
100% institutional delivery
Improving nutrition status for all, with special focus on children, adolescent girls, pregnant women, and lactating mothers
Strong focus on the special needs of Persons with Disability (PWD), especially children and women
Universal access to education facilities up to Class 10th and retention
Conversion of schools into 'smart schools'. Smart schools will have IT enabled classrooms, e-libraries, web based teaching and will make all students e-literate required for providing quality education
Adult literacy
E-literacy
Village libraries including e-libraries

Q: Q10. What Activities Can Be Taken Up Under The Social Development Of The Village?
A: Answer:- The activities that can be taken up under the social development of the village are

Activities for promotion of voluntarism like Bharat Nirman Volunteers
Building the capacity of the people to fully participate and contribute to local development
Activities for honouring village elders, local role models especially women, freedom fighters and martyrs iv. Activities for violence and crime free villages such as:
Setting up Citizen Committees
Sensitization, especially of youth
Village sports and folk arts festivals
Having a village song to instil a sense of pride among the people
Celebrating 'Village Day'
Proactive steps for inclusion and integration of socially excluded groups, especially Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes.

Q: Q17. How To Identify The Village To Convert Into Adarsh Gram?
A: Answer:- The MP would be free to identify a suitable Gram Panchayat for being developed Adarsh Gram, other than his/her own village or that of his/her spouse.

Lok Sabha MP has to choose a Gram Panchayat from within his/her constituency and Rajya Sabha MP a Gram Panchayat from the rural area of a district of his/her choice in the State from which he/she is elected. Nominated MPs may choose a Gram Panchayat from the rural area of any district in the country. In the case of urban constituencies, (where there are no Gram Panchayats), the MP will identify a Gram Panchayat from a nearby rural constituency.

Q: Q18. What Should Be The Ideal Population Of The Adarsh Gram?
A: Answer:- Gram Panchayat would be the basic unit. It should have a population of 3000 5000 inplain areas and 1000-3000 in hilly, tribal and difficult areas. If these sizes are not available, Gram Panchayats of other sizes could be identified as far as possible approximating the laid down sizes of population.

Q: How Is The Post Project Sustainability Of Adarsh Gram Ensured Through SAGY?
A: Answer:- Post project sustainability is expected to be achieved through the following:

Continuing leadership and guidance of the MP
Strong ownership and leadership of the Gram Panchayat and the village community with role clarity on operation and maintenance of the assets created under the programme.
Involvement of the private sector in operation and maintenance of bigger assets like sewerage and large water supply schemes.
Involvement of SHGs in the operation and maintenance of smaller community assets like vermin compost systems, small water supply schemes, nutrition centres, citizen service centres, libraries etc.
Clear protocols in respect of departmental responsibilities in operation and maintenance to be laid down and agreed upon, upfront at the time of approval of projects under the Plan.

Q: Are There Any Incentives In The Implementation Of SAGY?
A: Answer:- The incentives are in the form of Awards and they are proposed to be given in the following categories:

Best practices
Best Charge Officers
Best District Collectors
Best Adarsh Grams

Q: What Is The Mechanism Adopted For Evaluation Of SAGY?
A: Answer:- A mid-term evaluation of performance would be conducted through a competent independent agency. Also a post-project assessment of performance and outcomes would be similarly undertaken.

Q: What Would Be The Expected Outcomes Of The SAGY?
A: Answer:- The expected outcomes of SAGY would be the following:
Increased livelihoods/employment opportunities
Reduction in distress migration
Freedom from bonded labour, child labour and manual scavenging
100% registration of deaths and births
Evolution of alternate dispute resolution system acceptable to all sections of the community
Peace and Harmony
Demonstration effect on other Gram Panchayats

Q: What Will MORD Do For The Capacity Building Of The Functionaries In SAGY?
A: Answer:- The Ministry of Rural Development would:
Prepare detailed handbooks for operationalizing the different components for the stakeholders.
Document and disseminate best practices related to innovative village development.
Set up a help desk in the NIRD & PR to serve as a single point for clarification of doubts and for giving advice where necessary.
Identify the best performing Gram Panchayats for peer-group learning through twinning arrangements.