MP: LS Speaker Mahajan adopts Potlod under model village scheme

Lok Sabha speaker and MP Sumitra Mahajan has chosen Potlod village, as her first village under the Sansad Adarsh Gram Yojana. With this the suspense over which village she would choose ends.

Lok Sabha speaker and MP Sumitra Mahajan has chosen Potlod village, falling under Sanver assembly segment, as her first village under the Sansad Adarsh Gram Yojana. With this the suspense over which village she would choose ends.

According to officials, it was a choice between Potlod and Baneria village, which comes under Depalpur assembly segment. Finally, Mahajan decided in favour of Potlod.

Potlod, which has a population of 3,250 and situated around 50 km from Indore, would now be developed as ideal village in 2014-15. Most of the villagers belong to the Khati community and there is also a sizeable Dalit population.

At present, there are 68 families in the village that do not have access to toilets and defecate in the open. There is no panchayat building or anganwadi centre. A two-km road needs to be constructed to join the village to an already existing road.

Under the Sansad Adarsh Gaon Yojana, the MP has to choose a village, which would be developed as an ideal village in a year. An official said that now a detailed project report would be prepared for the village and various departments would launch their projects in the village and turn it into an ideal village.

For example, the chosen village would have among other things an all-weather road under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana, a panchayat building, an anganwadi centre, potable water facility, a post office, a high school, a godown, a health centre, a veterinary centre and a fertilizer and seed distribution centre.

If such provisions are not available in the chosen village, the concerned department would have to draw up a project and ensure that it is available to the villagers by the end of financial year.