Modi’s Gift To 484 Dalit-majority Villages In Punjab: Vijay Sampla

Centre to Provide Grants of Up to ₹20 Lakh Each to Villages Selected Under PM Adarsh Yojana

Chandigarh, October 1: Punjab BJP senior leader and former Union Minister Vijay Sampla thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for covering 484 Dalit-majority villages in Punjab under the PM Adarsh Yojana. More than 40 per cent of the population in these villages belongs to the Dalit community, and the Central Government will provide grants of up to ₹20 lakh each for development works in these villages.

In a statement issued from the party office in Chandigarh, Vijay Sampla said the benefits of the scheme are not limited to the construction of roads and buildings. The scheme will also support development in areas such as drinking water, sanitation, education, health and nutrition, social security, housing, electricity, clean fuel, agriculture, financial inclusion, digital facilities, employment and skill development.

Sampla said that integrating the Dalit community into the mainstream of development requires more than mere announcements; it requires access to quality education, basic amenities, employment and economic opportunities. He said Punjab has the highest proportion of Dalits among the states in the country, with more than 32 per cent of its population belonging to the Dalit community. He alleged that the Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party have so far treated Dalits merely as a vote bank and have failed to pay adequate attention to the development of villages.

He said that after 70 years of Independence, for the first time, a Prime Minister is working towards transforming Dalit-majority villages into model villages. He said that once the BJP forms a double-engine government in Punjab in 2027, such development works will be accelerated on a war footing.