Viksit Bharat in mission mode in Rajasthan: Shekhawat

The Centre's Viksit Bharat Sankalp Yatra (VBSY) has picked up pace in Rajasthan after a delayed start due to the model code of conduct ahead of the assembly elections, Union Minister for Jal Shakti Gajendra Singh Shekhawat said.

According to the minister, the yatra started in the state on December 16 and since then it has managed to climb to the eighth position in the country covering 5,59,762 beneficiaries so far.

''The yatra is Prime Minister Narendra Modi's dream to reach the last mile of beneficiaries who are yet to receive the benefits of the various government schemes in each village of the country'', Shekhawat told PTI.

The yatra's primary objective is to ensure that welfare schemes reach the beneficiaries at the grassroots level and the government has taken up the initiative on a mission mode in Rajasthan after the new BJP government took charge, he said.

''There may have been lapses in the benefits of the schemes from reaching the poorest of the poor due to various reasons, including political rivalry, inefficiency of the officials, among others'', Sekhawat said.

The priority of the yatra is to identify the beneficiaries with the government going to their doorsteps to ensure that they are registered and not deprived of the schemes, he said.

''The prime minister' governing policy is that not a single person eligible for the schemes be deprived of the benefits and the authorities concerned and the public representatives are working towards it'', he said.

The minister said people are now flocking to the various camps organised across the state to take advantage of the opportunity of registering themselves for the various schemes.

''Camps are being organised in all panchayats and urban areas to ensure that no genuine beneficiary is left out. We are sure that by the time the yatra ends on January 26, all beneficiaries who are yet to get the benefits will be registered'', he added.

The yatra is also a means for people to join the journey of realising the prime minister's dream of making the country a 'Viksit Bharat' (developed country) by 2047.

The VBSY has so far covered 2,86,502 males and 2,73,260 females in 26 districts of the state, according to official data.

More than 1,72,201 people have attended health camps, 1,59,834 Ayudhman Bharat cards have been issued, 48,562 have registered for PM Ujjwala scheme, 32,736 for the PM-SVANIDHI scheme and 29,497 for Aadhaar cards while 77,118 have registered under the My Bharat Volunteer scheme.