Haryana plans monthly ‘Tiffin meetings’ in villages, natural farming, skill development push

Haryana CM Nayab Singh Saini announces monthly ‘Tiffin meetings’ in villages, natural farming, solar energy and skill development push after meeting PM Modi.

Haryana will step up grassroots outreach, promote natural farming and solar energy, strengthen skill development and prioritise Gurugram’s infrastructure as part of a strategy to accelerate the state’s development, chief minister Nayab Singh Saini said on Saturday.

Haryana will hold monthly ‘Tiffin meetings’ in villages and promote natural farming, solar energy and skill development under a new grassroots outreach plan.

Saini made the announcement after a meeting of Haryana ministers and MLAs with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi, saying the focus would now be on translating the discussions into programmes at the village and constituency levels with greater public participation.

A key component of the strategy will be regular engagement with villages. Saini said meetings would be organised regularly in 30 to 35 villages in every assembly constituency. A group of 200 to 300 people would visit a village once a month, conduct cleanliness drives and hold “Tiffin meetings” with residents.

The teams would also discuss local issues with villagers and work towards finding solutions, he said. The objective, according to Saini, is to ensure that government schemes become public campaigns driven by community participation rather than remaining government programmes.

The state will also undertake cleanliness and plantation drives, particularly around festivals and public programmes, with participation from local communities. Special programmes will be taken up to promote girls’ education, particularly in areas where enrolment and education levels among girls remain low.

Saini said the objective was to build a Haryana where daughters receive education, youth move ahead, farmers prosper and poorer families live with dignity.

Farmers to be pushed towards solar energy

The government will work towards making farmers not only food producers but also energy producers. Under PM-KUSUM, farmers will be encouraged to adopt solar-powered agricultural pumps and install solar panels collectively on the boundaries of their fields.

The state will also accelerate efforts under the PM Surya Ghar scheme to connect more households with solar energy. Saini said solar panels had already been installed on the rooftops of more than 1.5 lakh houses in Haryana and these households had zero electricity bills.

He said the focus on green energy was also aimed at making Haryana more self-reliant in the energy sector and increasing its contribution to India’s energy transition.

Natural farming, FPOs to get push

Agriculture will be another major focus. Saini said the state would seek to connect at least 1,000 farmers with natural farming in every assembly constituency.

He also said ministers and MLAs had been asked to encourage every family in every village to adopt natural farming on at least one acre. The government had recently decided that the Food Department would procure foodgrains produced through natural farming without fertilisers and pesticides.

The government will also focus on cleaning and maintaining canals to ensure water reaches tail-end areas. Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs) will be strengthened, while farmers will be provided access to markets and agricultural information through digital mandis. Large agricultural clusters will also be developed wherever there is a need and potential.

Skill development for Haryana youth

Skill development will form another important part of the strategy. Saini said Haryana’s youth would be connected with Skill India on a large scale in view of the growing demand for skilled workers globally.

The state plans to strengthen Skill India Skill Centres and focus on preparing young people not only for employment within Haryana but also for opportunities in other parts of India and overseas.

Gurugram infrastructure gets priority

Saini also said the government would work to further improve Gurugram, describing it as a global city rather than merely a city of Haryana.

He said he had held a meeting on the issue and directed officials to complete infrastructure requirements, including cleanliness-related works, on priority.

The chief minister said Haryana would also work towards strengthening its economy and contributing to the national target of a developed India. He said the state’s progress in agriculture, skills, villages, energy and the economy would collectively contribute to the broader development objective.

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