The Vikasit Bharat Sankalp Yatra, inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on November 15 in Jharkhand’s Khunti, has so far reached more than 36,000-gram panchayats and witnessed participation of over 1 crore citizens, as per the data captured on the customised portal developed by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology.
The Information & Broadcasting Ministry on Friday said Uttar Pradesh led with over 37 lakh participants, followed by 12.07 lakh in Maharashtra and 11.58 lakh in Gujarat. “The Yatra has received encouraging reception in Jammu & Kashmir as well, with over 9 lakh people participating till date,” it said.
According to the Ministry, the people’s participation has gathered momentum with each passing day. “Within a short span, the urban segment of the Yatra has reached over 700 locations and a total of 79 lakh individuals have taken the pledge to strive to make India a developed nation by 2047,” said the Ministry.
As part of the campaign, the government is planning to cover over 2.60 lakh gram panchayats and over 3,600 urban local bodies using Information, Education, and Communication (IEC) vans that call upon people to utilise government schemes for their benefit.
“A focal point of the Yatra has been raising awareness about women-centric schemes, leading to over 46,000 beneficiaries enrolling for the PM Ujjwala scheme. Health camps have also proved to be a big draw and 22 lakh individuals have been screened to date. Drone demonstration for farmers showcased as part of the Vikasit Bharat Sankalp Yatra has attracted great curiosity,” it said.
With the launch of the “Drone Didi Scheme” - under which 15,000 Women’s Self Help Groups will be provided with drones, along with necessary training for two members of the women, - a large number of women were also coming forward to witness the drone flights, said the Ministry. The groups will rent out the drone services for a fee which will serve as another stream of revenue for the group members.
