Empowered villages, educated youth, and strong women will build Viksit Bharat: Sonowal

Syllad | The Rising MeghalayaMay 3, 2025

As the second phase of the Panchayat election campaign intensifies in Assam, senior BJP leader and Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal highlighted the Narendra Modi-led NDA government’s focus on rural empowerment through education, infrastructure, and inclusive governance.

Speaking at rallies in Maloibari and Chandrapur in Kamrup district, Sonowal underscored the transformation brought to rural Assam over the past decade. He credited this to targeted investments in school infrastructure, digital learning, health care, and grassroots institutions.

“Education is the foundation of empowerment,” Sonowal said. “We’ve ensured quality learning even in remote villages—through better schools, scholarships, digital classrooms, and trained teachers. That’s the roadmap for Viksit Bharat.”

He emphasized the government’s support for Yuva Shakti (youth power) and Nari Shakti (women power), noting increased female participation in Panchayati Raj institutions and community leadership. “Schemes like Beti Bachao Beti Padhao, Ujjwala Yojana, and Poshan Abhiyan have transformed rural women’s lives—they are now decision-makers,” he said.

Referring to the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, Sonowal said reforms are modernizing and democratizing education in tribal and rural regions. From free uniforms and mid-day meals to digital tools and vocational training, the government is making learning accessible and future-ready.

“Every girl who rides a bicycle to school, every youth trained in a skill—that’s a village preparing for tomorrow,” Sonowal said during his Chandrapur address.

Sonowal listed schemes such as PM Awas Yojana (housing), Jal Jeevan Mission (tap water), Saubhagya Yojana (electricity), Ayushman Bharat (health), and Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (rural roads) as key to improving quality of life in villages.

He also pointed to the end of middlemen politics, crediting Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) as a “cure for the cancer of corruption.” Funds, he said, now reach the beneficiaries directly, empowering local bodies to plan and execute development projects independently.

Calling Panchayats the “backbone of grassroots governance,” Sonowal said a new generation of educated and motivated youth is emerging to lead Gram Sabhas with innovation and transparency. “This is the Modi government’s vision in action,” he added.

Sonowal was joined at the rallies by AGP president and Agriculture Minister Atul Bora, Rajya Sabha MP Bhubaneswar Kalita, and Guwahati MP Bijuli Kalita Medhi, all of whom echoed the call for continued rural transformation through strong local leadership and sustained development.