Modi’s village adoption scheme fails: Central audit

The Saansad adarsh gram yojana has failed , the central audit team has declared after survey that the villages have not been adopted and developed by the MPs, the scheme launched by PM Modi in 2014 has not solved it's purpose, said the audit

Modi government's much propagated 'Saansad Adarsh Gram Yojana' has been declared ineffective by a central audit.

1.'Saansad Adarsh Gram Yojana' declared ineffective by central audit

Six years after it was launched with much fanfare by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, ‘Sansad Adarsh Gram Yojana’ aimed at developing “model villages” has been found to be ineffective in ushering in development in chosen gram panchayats, with a central performance audit urging the rural development ministry to review the scheme.

2. The central performance audit has urged the government to review the scheme

Commissioned by the RD ministry, the Common Review Mission-2019, an audit of rural schemes, has noted, “The CRM teams that visited the states did not find any significant impact of this scheme. In many of the SAGY villages, MPs did not give any significant money from MPLADS.

3. The review teams found that MPs did not give money for the villages

In isolated cases, where MPs have been pro-active, some infrastructure development has taken place, but the scheme has not made any perceptible impact.”

4. The scheme has not made perceptible impact

Launched in October 2014, SAGY offers each MP to select a village in his constituency for development. The scheme has no budgetary allocation and aims to bring about convergence in government schemes to improve developmental parameters in the selected village.

5. MPs have to select villages and ensure its development

The goal was to develop three “model villages” by each MP by March 2019, and then five more by 2024.

But with each passing year, fewer MPs were adopting villages under SAGY.

6.Only few MPs adopted the villages

The reasons were two-fold- there was concern that picking one village would earn them the wrath of other villages in their constituencies, while the absence of budget too acted as a dampener.

7.Absence of budget and will acted as a dampener

However, the ministry was mindful that it was the PM’s personal initiative.

Now, the CRM audit has attested to the fact that SAGY has been a non-starter.

8.CRM audit has attested that PM's personal initiative failed as a scheme

“As such these villages cannot be called model villages. The CRM is of the opinion that in the current format, the scheme is not achieving the desired purpose. It is recommended that the ministry may review the scheme for enhancing its impact,” it has stated

9.The CRM has recommended that the ministry may review the scheme

In another important red-flag, the CRM has expressed concern over the quality of roads constructed under schemes of state governments and maintenance of rural roads under central PMGSY after the end of five-year warranty period.

10. CRM has expressed concern over the quality of roads constructed under PMGSY

The audit has urged the Centre to frame a “National Rural Road Policy” to ensure uniform norms of construction and maintenance, irrespective of whether the road belongs to a state scheme or PMGSY.

11. The audit has urged the centre to unsure uniformity in construction of roads

It has also urged the Centre to examine if the finance commission can provide funds for maintenance of rural roads, as many states have requested that the Centre should share cost of maintenance.

12.The central audit has asked the centre to share the cost of maintenance of rural roads

The village adoption scheme is one of the major failed schemes of the Modi Government and the village adopted by PM Modi also remains under develped

13. The village adopted by PM Modi also remains under developed