The Prime Minister has adopted three villages — Jayapur, Nagepur and Kakrahia — near Varanasi since the general elections of 2014. The residents of Nagepur and Jayapur seem happy with their special status, and claim their lives have improved considerably since the introduction of the PM’s flagship schemes for rural electrification, sanitation and access to clean cooking fuel, namely the Saubhagya or Pradhan Mantri Har Ghar Bijli Yojna, Swachh Bharat Abhiyan and Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana, respectively. However, gaps in the government database deprive a chunk of the villagers from enjoying the promised benefits. In Jayapur, two 25 KV solar panels were installed at a cost of ₹70 lakh to supply electricity for 12-13 hours a day. However, batteries were stolen over time, and the streets have plunged into darkness once again — 80 of the 135 streetlights in the village have not been working since their installation in 2015. Some toilets lie unused, and vandalism and theft of public property continues. Newly-constructed roads are slowly falling into desrepair.
Kamal Narang
Light up: Arti Devi in Nagepur, one of the three villages adopted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, received her LPG stove under the Ujjwala scheme two years ago
Moving force: A bench built as a public amenity in Jayapur near the local Ambedkar statue has been uprooted and brought to a private home
Woman, interrupted: Electricity supply has been erratic in Jayapur ever since the batteries of the solar panel in the village were stolen
Well-trodden: The interior paths of Nagepur are still kachcha, and lack properly constructed roads
Centre of attraction: Jayapur has buzzed with activity since PM Modi adopted it in 2014
Cottage industry: To generate employment, 25 families have been provided with spinning wheels, five families with cotton looms, and 10 women with sewing machines
Going nowhere: Toilets in Jayapur lie unused; some of them double as storage spaces
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