Gandhinagar, July 3 (IANS) A large-scale Abhivadan Samaroh (felicitation ceremony) for newly elected village leaders will be held on July 4 at Mahatma Mandir, Gandhinagar, where Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel will disburse over Rs 35 crore in grants to 761 Samras Gram Panchayats across Gujarat.

The event will witness the participation of 4,876 newly elected sarpanches, along with 600 members from 56 all-women Samras Panchayats — reflecting a growing trend in inclusive and unopposed grassroots governance.

Samras Gram Panchayats in Gujarat refer to village panchayats where the sarpanch and members are elected unopposed, promoting consensus-based leadership and avoiding electoral conflicts.

The Gujarat government actively encourages the formation of Samras Panchayats by offering financial incentives and grants to such villages. As part of the event, top-performing panchayats under the Panchayat Advancement Index will also be awarded certificates by the Chief Minister.

These recognitions are based on nine thematic areas such as cleanliness, good governance, water sufficiency, child-friendly practices, and women’s empowerment. Notable winners include Jawanpar (Devbhumi Dwarka) for poverty reduction, Nakhda (Gir Somnath) for health, Kaniyal (Ahmedabad) for child-friendliness, and Rasnol (Anand) for water adequacy.

A total provision of Rs 1,236 crore has been made under various schemes and incentive grants to further strengthen rural governance and development.

Central Minister for Jal Shakti C.R. Patil is also scheduled to attend and deliver a motivational address. Bhavnagar tops the list with the highest number of Samras Gram Panchayats (103), while Mehsana leads in all-women Samras Panchayats (9).

Other top-performing districts in terms of Samras implementation include Mehsana (90), Patan (70), Banaskantha (59), and Jamnagar (59). For women-led Samras Panchayats, Patan (7), Bhavnagar (6), Banaskantha (6), and Vadodara (4) follow Mehsana.

Samras Gram Panchayats play a crucial role in strengthening grassroots democracy and social harmony in Gujarat. By promoting unopposed elections through consensus, they help reduce political rivalry, election-related expenses, and social divisions within villages.

–IANS

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