Govt acts against rape, but make sons more responsible: Modi at rally

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday launched the Rashtriya Gram Swaraj Abhiyan at Ramnagar in this tribal-dominated district of Madhya Pradesh on the occasion of National Panchayati Raj Day. The scheme will focus on training, building infrastructure and stepping up initiatives for e-governance under the e-Panchayat Mission Mode Project.

Addressing the gathering Modi said that "Panchayati Raj Day is an opportunity to fulfill Mahatma Gandhi's dream; the govt will support people's representatives in villages in empowering their villages and people."

"Panchayati Raj Day is an opportunity to fulfill Mahatma Gandhi's dream; the govt will support people's representatives in villages in empowering their villages and people," he said.

"I want to assure the Panchayati Raj that the Central government will always help you in your contributions to the development of villages," he added.

"When it comes to rural development, Budgets are important. But, there is a shift in the discourse in last few years. People are now talking about the need to ensure that money allocated for a project is utilised & it is done in a transparent manner. The budget of the country today is for the welfare of all, we are continuously working for the development of villages," he further said.

"We have provided adequate facilities in villages for education, but the children have to be sincere towards being regular to schools. We need to make sure that no student is missing from school," Modi said.On the occasion, Modi unveiled a roadmap for development of tribal areas of Madhya Pradesh over the next five years. Under the plan, Rs 2 lakh crore will be spent for development of areas under tribal panchayats.Modi stressed that people had to respect their daughters and make their sons more responsible for an atmosphere of safety.

Modi also pitched for a social movement to ensure the safety of women and girls while addressing a rally here. "Shivraj ji (Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan) just referred to the capital punishment provided in the ordinance for rape against minors and I could see that it (the remark) received cheers from everyone present here," he said.

The prime minister also laid the foundation stone for a liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) bottling plant at Maneri in the district.

Modi also honoured panchayats for their achievements in implementing the government's e-governance scheme, making villages under their jurisdiction open defecation-free (ODF) and also smokeless by switching from conventional fuel to LPG.

Union Panchayati Raj and Rural Development Minister Narendra Singh Tomar, state Agriculture Minister Purushottam Rupala and Rural Development Minister Gopal Bhargava were present.