Special campaign from September 17 marking Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 25 years of service-resolve, 12 programmes to be held in Paschim Bardhaman too
Asansol: To reach out to every household with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 25 years of public life, service, sacrifice, and penance ranging from Chief Minister to Prime Minister, a special service-resolve campaign will be conducted nationwide from September 17 to October 17. Keeping Durga Puja in mind in West Bengal, efforts are being made to complete most of the programmes of this campaign by October 9 or 10. Under the campaign, 13 major programmes will be organized nationwide and 12 in West Bengal. The detailed outline of the campaign was presented at a press conference held in Asansol, and information regarding various programmes concerning the Prime Minister's 25-year tenure and the resolve for a developed India was shared.
Outlining the campaign, Vidyasagar Chattopadhyay, former Purulia district president, current state committee member, and in-charge of the service-resolve campaign, said that on October 7, 2001, Narendra Modi started his service journey as the Chief Minister of Gujarat. After shouldering the responsibility as Chief Minister for about 13 years, he became the Prime Minister of the country. On the occasion of the completion of 25 years of his public life, efforts will be made through this campaign to take his works, thoughts, and the goal of a developed India set for the country to the people.
He informed that the campaign will kick off on September 17, the birthday of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, with the 'Ashirwad ke Deep' (Lamps of Blessings) programme. At 7:00 PM, lamps will be lit in every village of West Bengal along with the entire country. A target of lighting about 1.5 crore lamps has been set in West Bengal. The programme will commence by lighting one lakh lamps at the Ganga Ghat. Following this, ministers, MLAs, and party workers will light lamps in temples, party offices, and other prominent places in their respective areas to seek the public's blessings for the Prime Minister.
Speakers stated that crores of people in the country have benefited from one or the other central government scheme. People who have benefited from rations, Covid vaccination, Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana, Anganwadi, and other schemes have been appealed to join the campaign and express their blessings for the Prime Minister.
Under the second major programme of the campaign, 'Swapna ka Bharat' (India of Dreams), school children will be engaged. Painting and speech competitions will be organized in secondary and higher secondary level schools. Children will have to express how they envision India and a developed Bengal in 2047. Separate categories will be created for students of classes 5 to 7 and classes 8 to 12. Participants selected at the school level will participate in district, state, and then central level competitions. Students with better performances will be awarded certificates and prizes.
Speakers mentioned that not only adults, but children should also have knowledge about the development of the country and society. With this objective, children will be informed through comics about the work being done by the government in their villages, neighborhoods, wards, and state, as well as the facilities available to them. Along with honoring small children and their mothers at Anganwadi centers, there will also be awareness programmes on subjects related to children's nutrition and healthy development.
During the campaign, the Prime Minister's 25 years of work will be presented to the people through street plays (nukkad natak) and rallies. Rallies will start from various areas and converge at a central location to transform into a programme. There, information regarding central and state government schemes and development works will be given to the people through distinguished speakers.
'Vadnagar-Varanasi Seva Yatra' will also be a part of the campaign. Water will be collected from various holy places in Varanasi and taken to Vadnagar. There, 'abhishek' of Mahadev will be performed, and prayers will be offered for India's prosperity and glory. About 50 youths from West Bengal will also join this yatra, go to Varanasi, and participate in the scheduled programme using bikes.
Under 'Seva Mahayagna', 25 types of service activities will be undertaken. These include blood donation camps, health camps, providing notebooks and pens to children, cleanliness campaigns, and various other public service activities. Every worker and common citizen will be inspired to join them. Speakers stated that bringing about a change in people's lives through service and taking the Prime Minister's spirit of service to society is the core objective of this programme.
Under the 'Seva Setu Abhiyan', three-day camps will be organized. Through this, an effort will be made to establish direct contact between the public and the government. Service centers will be set up in various block offices where government officials will be present. Party workers will take the problems of the common people to the officials and try to resolve them immediately.
Under the 'Seva Rang' programme, an 'Alpana' (traditional floor art) competition will be organized. Alpana will be drawn at various prominent places on themes related to portraits of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the lotus symbol, the map of India, and the country's culture and development. The best Alpana will be selected, and participants will be rewarded. Speakers said that Alpana is a part of Indian culture and tradition, and an effort is being made to present this art in a new form.
Through the 'Seva Bharat Innovation Challenge', there is a plan to bring forward hidden talents in rural and remote areas. New and useful innovations will be invited from students and youth of schools, colleges, and various institutions. These innovations will be selected with the help of government officials, experts, and workers, and efforts will be made to promote useful inventions.
Speakers mentioned innovations like preparing fabric from plastic recycling and using plastic in road construction. Applications for such innovations will also be invited from the youth and startups of Bihar, Jharkhand, and West Bengal. A major programme is proposed to be organized on October 9 at the Netaji Indoor Stadium in Kolkata, where those with better innovations will be honored.
Under the campaign, through 'Gaatha' (Saga) and 'Meri Kahani' (My Story), real-life stories of people benefited by government schemes will be brought to light. Documentaries will be prepared on the changes in the lives of families who received assistance for critical illness treatment through Ayushman Bharat, families who got houses under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana, and beneficiaries of other schemes.
Beneficiaries will be able to share their stories by making videos from their mobile phones on the 'My Government India' portal. The best stories received from across the country will be selected, and videos will be prepared on them through a professional team. In addition, various social media influencers and content creators will also be associated with the campaign. They will create content on the real-life stories of beneficiaries and central and state government schemes.
Speaking on the occasion, Dr. Ajay Poddar said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's service journey started on October 7, 2001, and now it is completing 25 years. He said that Narendra Modi did not consider governance merely as a medium to attain power and prestige, but worked as a service to bring the poor, underprivileged, exploited, and victims into the mainstream of society.
Referring to Narendra Modi's tenure as Chief Minister in Gujarat, he cited works like supplying electricity, roads, and Narmada river water to various regions including Kutch, Jal Jeevan Mission, and the Sabarmati Riverfront as examples of his developmental vision. He said that efforts will be made to carry forward a similar developmental vision in West Bengal as well. Work towards bringing Kolkata on par with developed cities like Delhi and Mumbai in the coming years was also mentioned.
Dr. Rajiv said that food grains are being provided to crores of people under Antyodaya. He claimed that over four crore families have been provided houses through the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana, more than 12 crore household toilets have been constructed under the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, and LPG connections have been given to over 10 crore families through the Ujjwala Yojana. He also mentioned schemes like Jal Jeevan Mission, Ayushman Bharat, Jan Dhan Yojana, Digital India, Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi, Fasal Bima, irrigation, Skill India, Startup India, and Mudra Yojana.
He said that India is advancing rapidly in various fields including digital technology, defense, railways, agriculture, education, and green energy. Mention was made of ongoing works in the direction of electrification and doubling in railways along with new trains, bullet trains, and hydrogen trains. The achievements of Indian scientists and India's progress in the field of green energy were also discussed.
Responding to a question regarding river and water management, speakers said that water from Jharkhand plays an important role in the irrigation system through dams like Maithon and Panchet and the Durgapur Barrage. Complete human control over natural rainfall is not possible. If it rains many times more than normal in a single day, its impacts have to be faced. Dams also have their own capacity and limits. Water management has to be taken forward keeping natural circumstances in mind.
Keeping Durga Puja in West Bengal in mind, Dr. Rajiv said that it would be difficult to hold large programmes after October 10. Therefore, efforts are being made to complete all major programmes of the campaign in the state by October 9, and a request has also been made to the Centre for this.
In her concluding statement, Minister Agnimitra Paul said that in this one-month campaign starting from September 17, an effort will be made to involve every citizen of the Asansol district. She said that on the occasion of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's birthday on September 17 at 7:00 PM, every family should light a lamp in front of their house and bless him. She stated that the benefits of central government schemes have reached almost every family in one way or another. Common people have benefited from rations to Covid vaccination, Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana, and Anganwadi facilities.
Agnimitra Paul said that during Covid, Prime Minister Narendra Modi managed the country and also played a role in providing medicines and vaccines to many other countries. She stated that at a time when India was at the 11th position in the economy, today it is moving forward to become the third-largest economy. She said that not only BJP workers but also common citizens should participate in this campaign regarding these achievements.
She said that through competitions held in schools, children will get an opportunity to think about the India and Bengal of 2047. Not only painting, but speech competitions will also be held. Children with better performances will be given certificates and honors. She said that children should also have information about the works being done by the government in their village, neighborhood, and assembly constituency.
Agnimitra Paul said that the stories of people benefiting from health schemes like Ayushman Bharat will also be brought to light. Giving an example, she said that if someone got treatment for a critical illness of their father, mother, or any family member with the help of Ayushman Bharat, if a family got a house under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana, or if life changed due to any other government scheme, such real-life stories will be brought forward.
She said that through the 'My Government India' portal, people can make videos from their mobiles and share their stories. The best stories among thousands received from across the country will be selected and presented to the people through a professional team. The role of social media influencers will also be important in this.
Mrs. Paul said that out of the 25 service activities mentioned under the Seva Mahayagna, every worker and organization should undertake at least two activities in their area. These include river cleaning, women's health check-ups, adopting a village and doing service work, yoga programmes, cleanliness campaigns, and many other activities. These works will also be shared through social media so that the message of service reaches as many people as possible.
She informed that on October 9, a major programme will be held featuring talented children and youth from Bihar, Jharkhand, and West Bengal. Youths and startups making fabric from plastic, manufacturing road construction materials from plastic, and undertaking other innovative experiments will be included in this. There is a plan to honor those with better innovations in the programme to be held at the Netaji Indoor Stadium in Kolkata.
Giving information about the final phase of the campaign, 'Jansevak Mahakumbh—Panchayat se Sansad', Agnimitra Paul said that public representatives from the Panchayat to the Parliament will be associated with it. MPs, MLAs, Panchayat representatives, councillors, and other public representatives will participate. In programmes to be held at various places in the country, public representatives will discuss development plans for their areas and deliberate on future strategies to make India developed and Bengal developed by 2047.
She said that if the dream of a developed India and a developed Bengal is to be fulfilled in 2047, planning for it must be done right now. With this objective, this campaign is being conducted across West Bengal by bringing together the administration, organization, and the general public. She appealed to every citizen of the Asansol district to participate in the programmes and light a lamp in front of their houses at 7:00 PM on September 17 to bless Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Abhyankar Paul said that the purpose of this entire campaign is not just to conduct political programmes, but to advance the development of society and the country through service. For the BJP, service is duty and service is religion, and with this spirit, an attempt will be made to reach out to the people.
Paschim Bardhaman District President Devtanu Bhattacharya, District Committee General Secretary Apurva Hazra, Sampa Ray, Raniganj MLA Madan Choubey, Parth Ghosh, and Minister Agnimitra Paul along with other organization officials, public representatives, and workers were present at the programme.
