Will empower villages to stop migration: Giriraj Singh

Prime Minister Narendra Modi not just dropped a few ministers from the cabinet, but also promoted several cabinet colleagues. The Daily Guardian caught up with one “rewarded minister” Giriraj Singh, who has been allocated a new Ministry—Rural Development and Panchayati. Excerpts:

Q: You have been allocated a very important portfolio, which has responsibility for the welfare of over 6 lakh villages of our country? What’s your first thought about this?

A: Responsibility is commitment. It’s not big or small. Responsibility is responsibility. Prime Minister Narendra Modi works for 20-22 hours and has the entire encyclopaedia in mind. It’s an honour to serve under him. You may remember how he displayed his dedication to the nation by bowing his head at the Parliament gate before entering for the first time. I always take the task given to me by PM Modi as badge of prestige.

Q: You come from a rural background yourself and had been stating that India can’t become a superpower till we empower our villages. Do you still hold the same opinion?

A: Absolutely. Panchayat is the administrative wing, while villages, farmers and the poor are its stakeholders. PM Modi started the Digital India initiative to connect every panchayat office in the country. You see this is generating new opportunities in employment, e-commerce, technology and communication. All this is happening in rural areas. This is indeed real Panchayati Raj. In the same way, housing, electricity and roads are being developed. Our PM has a holistic approach about villages. But urbanization must slow down as cities are growing at a pace of 32 percent, while migration is accelerating from villages. We must balance it and I am sure employment guarantee schemes like MNREGA can empower people and help us overcome this issue.