Rural Development Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has said, several revolutionary initiatives have been taken by the Central government to make the lives of rural citizens more comfortable. He added that these initiatives have provided new momentum to the country’s economy. The Minister was addressing the gathering after inaugurating the 77th session of the Executive Committee of the African-Asian Rural Development Organization (AARDO) in New Delhi today.
Mr Chouhan assured that India will continue to exchange knowledge, technical expertise, and successful policies and programs through the multilateral platform of AARDO. He emphasized that India, with its unwavering support and assistance to AARDO, will empower the rural community.
Highlighting the schemes and initiatives like Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, Pradhan Mantri Grameen Sadak Yojana, Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam campaign, and Lakhpati Didi yojana, Mr. Chouhan said, earlier India depended on other countries for food but today the country is not only self-reliant in food production but also helping other nations. He said, through National Rural Livelihoods Mission, nearly 10 crore women have been included in around 90 lakh Self Help groups and financial assistance of over 50 thousand crore were provided to them. The Minister further informed that under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi around 1 crore 25 lakh women have become Lakhpati didis.
