Focus on rural growth, asserts Shekhawat

New Delhi, May 24 (UNI) Stressing on the need to usher in a balanced growth, Vice-President Bhairon Singh Shekhawat today asserted that rural prosperity should be the focus of all developmental programmes.

Delivering the valedictory address at the National Conference and Exposition of Rural Roads here today, he said ''We need to address the concerns, the needs and aspirations, the apprehensions and the anxieties of our rural people in all developmental plans and projects.'' Mr Shekhawat said ushering in a balanced growth and bridging the various rural-urban divide is a major challenge. It was rather ''unfortunate'' that in the rural areas, incomes have dwindled and farm households have become more prone to stress and insecurity, the Vice-President said.

''The problem of farmers' suicides is a matter of grave anxiety that highlights the urgency to take up programmes for integrated rural development,'' he said.

He opined that the complete information on construction of rural roads, including allocation of funds, progress of expenditure should be widely disseminated; for this information and knowledge being in public domain will be the most effective way to ensure efficient and corruption-free utilisation of public funds.

He said that not only the 'Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana' is being given a new thrust but development of rural roads constitutes one of the six components of Bharat Nirman initiative.

Success in achieving the targets under these programmes would certainly go a long way in improving the much needed rural infrastructure, he added.

''The development of rural roads is now aimed to be taken up on the basis of systematic network planning and that there is distinctive focus on quality assurance,'' he noted.

The Vice-President also released a book ''Quality Assurance Handbook for Rural Roads''. He congratulated the Ministry of Rural Development for taking the initiative to develop Vision Document for Rural Roads Planning for the next 20 years and hoped that the conclusions and recommendations of this Conference would significantly impact the development of rural areas.

UNI