Having covered the urban areas of the state in the first phase of Swarnim Sankalp Jyot Rathayatra, the state government will reach out to more than 19,000 villages in the second phase of the Rathayatra starting from February 12. The government has set a five-point agenda for this yatra.
The ratra will be flagged off by the governor Dr Kamla Beniwal on the birthday of Ravishankar Maharaj, while chief minister Narendra Modi and leader of opposition Shaktisinh Gohil will remain present on the occasion. The second phase of the yatra will end on April 14, which is the death anniversary of Dr Ambedkar.
In the second phase, the state government has organised a weeklong function in the villages to connect people of all age groups with the celebration of golden jubilee year of the formation of Gujarat state.
“Each village will have a seven-day programme prior to the arrival of the rath in the village, followed by Swarnim Sankalp Avasar Din,” said Jaynarayan Vyas, minister for tourism, Gujarat. The programme aims at recognition of talent in the villages which is one of the five points on the agenda.
Vyas also said that the government wants to create awareness among the villagers about various government schemes so that they could avail of their benefits. Besides this, the civic infrastructure will be improved for the advantage of the public.
“Through the rathayatra, we want each and every citizen of the state to make a resolution such as saving energy and water for the betterment of society,” he said. Moreover, the rathayatra will convey the message of the chief minister to the youth for donation of 100 working hours to help people. “This is a people’s campaign and we want all the citizens to be part of this celebration,” he said.
The state government has created a special portal of e-gram connectivity for monitoring and reporting of Swarnim Sankalp Jyot Rathayatra, said RM Patel, principal secretary of Panchayat and Rural Housing.
The government has formed a welcoming committee, planning committee and decision committee which would be headed by the talati, sarpanch and principal of the primary school of the villages, respectively. The state government will also felicitate senior citizens, winners of competitions and retired government employees on the occasion.
