Jait (MP) Feb 8 (PTI) A novel initiative to observe the 'Gourav Diwas' of villages and towns was launched by Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan from his ancestral Jait in Sehore district on Tuesday, to coincide with Narmada Jayanti.

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Speaking on the occasion in Jait, which lies along the banks of the Narmada, considered the life of the central state, Chouhan said the aim of the initiative was to connect people with their roots.

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"We have started the practice of celebrating Gourav Diwas from today in the state to connect people with their roots. It is an attempt to bring back people to their villages and cities so that they can contribute in the development of their ancestral places," Chouhan told reporters here.

"We have decided to celebrate Gourav Diwas of all villages and cities in the state. The initiative has been launched from Jait today, where the village panchayat will decide on issues like cleanliness, agriculture etc. I have asked the panchayat to adopt a resolution on cleanliness by collecting garbage in dustbins," the CM added.

The CM's son Kunal, who was called on stage, said he would provide dustbins to villagers to ensure cleanliness in the area as well as to allow the garbage collected in this manner to be turned into compost and manure.

Chouhan also told the panchayat members to ensure no one wastes water or releases effluents into the Narmada, and asked them to get each villager to plant a sapling for the sake of greenery.

He also asked the panchayat to pass a resolution to ensure houses constructed in the village from here on would be of the same size and colour, with money raised by pooling resources available through government welfare schemes.

Even old houses can sport the same colour so that the village looks clean and beautiful, the CM suggested.

"The panchayat must ensure bright students are not deprived of quality education due to financial or other hurdles. The birth of a daughter or a wedding must be celebrated unitedly with the playing of drums and distribution of sweets. Villagers must donate food grains to anganwadis so that children there get a nutritious diet," he added.

The CM asked his wife Sadhna, who was present on the occasion, to ensure women here get jobs through NGOs so that they earn at least Rs 10,000 per month.

He also asked the village's youth to take advantage of government schemes promoting self-employment by starting some enterprise in order to have a source of income other than agriculture.

Villagers must build a temple and make food arrangements for those undertaking the Narmada parikrama (circumambulation), he said, adding that they should also work towards imposing total prohibition in Jait so that it becomes a source of inspiration for the rest of the state.

He sanctioned projects like roads, a veterinary hospital etc that were demanded by villagers on the occasion, and asked officials present to ensure these initiatives and resolutions passed by the panchayat were implemented effectively and without delay.

Later in the programme, the CM called villagers by their names and asked them to join him on the dias, while his wife honoured an elderly woman on stage by touching her feet and sought blessings.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)