Rural development key to self-reliant India: Amit Shah

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday said that India cannot become self-reliant unless rural development is made a contributor to the country’s economy.

Addressing the 41st convocation ceremony of the Institute of Rural Management, Anand (IRMA) Shah said that the institute is playing a major role in strengthening the rural sector through innovations in education and professional management. “The aspect of rural development is to make villages convenient. For this, remote connectivity of villages is necessary. There was no electricity in the villages earlier, we provided electricity connenctions to villages,” he said. Quoting Mahatma Gandhi, Shah said, “Gandhi ji had said country’s soul resides in villages. The country can never become self-reliant unless rural development is made the contributor to the country’s economy.”

He said the Centre’s priority is to ramp up rural development and bring prosperity to every person living in villages. The Union Minister said Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government has done the work of providing electricity, clean water and toilets to every household in the country.

Shah said, “Unless there is a development of the individual, there cannot be the development of the village. Unless the area is developed, the village cannot develop. Making the life of the individual convenient, developing the area and village, then only this dream of rural development is achieved. This began when Prime Minister Narendra Modi came to power in 2014.”

He said the Centre opened bank accounts of crores of people in every nook and corner of the country in the last eight years.