On Panchayati Raj Day, PM Narendra Modi addressing the people said that, “I have this confidence that India’s villages will prove the victory first in this fight against the coronavirus, the leadership of these villages and the people of the villages will show the way to the country and the world.” And this time as the second Covid wave is much bigger so it must be stopped from hitting the villages by “all the possible means”.

PM Modi also thanked the panchayat workers for their amazing support and also praised their efforts in keeping the Indian villages safe from the Covid-19. While addressing a video conference on Panchayati Raj Day PM praised the workers by saying, “You not only stopped Corona from reaching to the villages but also played a tremendous role in spreading awareness amongst the rural residents.”

As the country is facing a bigger and more dangerous challenge now from the second wave of the Covid so right now the mantra adopted by the people and the government is “dawai bhi, kadai bhi” (that means medicine as well as the strict cautions too). Adding to it he said that the villages and everyone else should follow the guidelines that are formed by the government.

Chief Ministers of 8 states and a large amount of locals joined the virtual event which was held on the Panchayati Raj Day. In the event PM also spoke about distributing the e-property cards under the ‘SWAMITVA’ scheme. Talking about the SWAMITVA scheme, he said as many as 4.09 lakh property owners were being given their e-property cards, which also marked the rolling out of the ‘SWAMITVA’ scheme for implementation across India.

PM Modi also said that during this time, when the whole world is fighting a battle against the virus. The government has decided to distribute free ration to the poor (BPL card holders) for May and June, adding this will benefit over 80 crore people and cost the government ₹ 26,000 crore. He added to his statement, “”It is our responsibility that in these difficult times, no family should go hungry”.

Drawing attention to the need to get vaccinated, PM Modi said, “This time we have the shield of vaccine. We have to ensure that every person in the village is vaccinated and every precaution is taken.”

Also read– PM Narendra Modi takes the second dose of COVAXIN at AIIMS

PM Modi also announced the National Panchayat Awards 2021 under numerous categories. He transferred the award money, ranging from ₹ 5 lakh to ₹ 50 lakh, as grants-in-aid, by clicking a button, the PMO said in a statement. For the first time, the amount has been directly transferred to the bank account of the panchayats concerned in real-time, the government said.

The Survey of Villages and Mapping with Improvised Technology in Village Areas (SVAMITVA) scheme was launched by the prime minister on April 24, 2020, as a central scheme to promote a socially and economically empowered rural India.