Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in his first major visit to Jammu and Kashmir after the abrogation of Article 370, on Sunday interacted with representatives of Palli Panchayat in Samba district. Panchayat members informed Modi about the preparation done by women of the area for his visit. Each household contributed minimum 20 rotis to welcome all the guests coming to the event.
The hamlet of Palli became the country's first 'carbon neutral panchayat' with Modi dedicating to the nation a 500 KV solar plant, installed in a record time of nearly three weeks. The prime minister said Palli has shown the way to the country by becoming carbon neutral.
The panchayat representatives thanked the prime minister for the establishment of the plant.
"It is a red-letter day for us. With the blessing of Modi ji, the village has entered into the history of India as the first carbon-neutral solar village. We thank the prime minister for choosing this hamlet across the country," Palli villager Gurdeep Singh said.
Modi talked about the importance of using a solar pump in agriculture, and also discussed the usage of LED bulbs and solar cookers.
"People of Palli have helped in the project. They have also provided food to people engaged in the project," he said.
{{/usCountry}}"People of Palli have helped in the project. They have also provided food to people engaged in the project," he said.
{{/usCountry}}In all, 1,500 solar panels put up in a total area of 6,408 square metres will provide clean electricity to 340 houses in the model panchayat under the central government’s ‘Gram Urja Swaraj’ programme.
The project was completed at a cost of ₹2.75 crore in a record time, according to reports. The electricity generated will be distributed to the village, having a daily requirement of 2,000 units, through the local power grid station.