Jaipur, June 24 (IANS) Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma has said that the previous government left Rajasthan lagging in development, but under the current government, the state is now rapidly advancing.

Speaking at the inauguration of the Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay Antyodaya Sambal Fortnight at Bichun village in Dudu tehsil of Jaipur district, the Chief Minister emphasised that true national progress is possible only when villages, the poor, farmers, and workers are empowered, in line with the philosophy of Antyodaya.

The campaign, he said, aims to bring public welfare schemes to the most marginalised citizens.

Calling on the people of Rajasthan to actively participate, Sharma encouraged them to visit the special camps, get their pending work resolved, and motivate others to do the same. He paid tribute to Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay, describing him as a visionary who dreamed of a self-reliant India, where every village and citizen thrives.

The Chief Minister announced several initiatives that will be implemented during the fortnight. These include resolving land disputes, conducting mutual land divisions, and surveying BPL families in 10,000 villages under the Poverty-Free Village Scheme to connect them with government schemes. Villagers will also receive ownership documents for their land without facing legal hurdles.

Further, Sharma said that the camps would offer essential rural services—cleaning water tanks, restoring suspended tap connections, repairing leakages, and canal cleaning. Farmers will benefit from the distribution of saplings, soil testing, and Soil Health Cards to support scientific farming. Livestock owners will receive insurance, medical check-ups, and vaccinations for their animals.

Other activities include the distribution of Ayushman Bharat cards, the settlement of pending NFSA (National Food Security Act) cases, school admissions for children, and improvements to rural lighting infrastructure.

Highlighting the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Sharma said that since 2014, India has seen a remarkable transformation across sectors.

Quoting the Prime Minister’s philosophy of serving four key groups – the poor, youth, women, and farmers – he said that their upliftment is at the heart of true national development. Inspired by the ‘Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam’ campaign, the Rajasthan government has set an ambitious goal of planting 100 million trees this year to promote environmental sustainability.

On the infrastructure front, Sharma shared achievements such as Rajasthan meeting a record peak power demand of 18,509 MW without borrowing electricity, a major improvement from past summers when electricity had to be purchased at inflated rates.

The state also ensured uninterrupted power supply to farmers during the Rabi season. He pointed out that while the previous government disbursed Rs 15,000 crore in agricultural loans through cooperative banks over 1.5 years, the current government has distributed Rs 35,000 crore in the same period.

Similarly, wheat procurement has risen from 11 lakh metric tonnes to 30 lakh metric tonnes, and the construction of 12,000 km of roads far exceeds the previous record of 3,400 km. Over 1,300 villages have been newly connected by roads, he added. “Our aim is not just to make Rajasthan a leading state in India, but to ensure that every citizen becomes prosperous and empowered,” the Chief Minister declared.

–IANS

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