The new Minister of Rural Development, Gopinath Munde, has said that the prestigious policies of the UPA Government, MGNREGA and Land Acquisition Act, will be continued under the Narendra Modi regime.
Talking to reporters after taking charge of Rural Development, Panchayati Raj, Drinking Water and Sanitation, Munde brushed aside criticism from industry organisations against the Land Acquisition Bill. He said, “We will implement the Land Acquisition Bill rigorously. The BJP had supported the Bill in its present form. Farmers should get the market price for their land acquired for industries and other purposes.” Citing that sanitation was an issue highlighted by Modi during his campaign, he said, “Sanitation is a big challenge for us. It will be our priority,” he said.
He supported the rural job scheme, but said it should help in the development of villages. “Development of villages and employment should go together,” he said, adding that the scheme should be linked with developing infrastructure in villages.
He said that two lakh villages do not have proper roads and that Prime Minister’s Rural Road Scheme will be implemented effectively under the new Government. “Water, power and roads are the major issues for villages. Water and rural roads are in my ministries. I will coordinate with other ministries to expedite the village electrification schemes,” Munde said.
He added that his first duty will be to ensure that the policies and programmes of the Modi Government reach villages. The focus will be on 250 districts where no development activities have taken place. “Poverty is the reason for Naxal insurgency. If we address this issue, there will be no insurgency,” the Maharashtra BJP leader added.