Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government on Thursday announced a new rural infrastructure initiative, ‘GRAM SAMPAD’, aimed at creating durable and community-oriented public assets in villages, with each Gram Panchayat expected to receive around Rs 3 crore annually for development-related works.
The initiative, whose full name is Green, Resilient and Accessible Model of Sustainable Assets for Multi-sectoral Panchayat Amenities and Rural Development, seeks to strengthen rural infrastructure by ensuring the creation of at least one model community asset in every Gram Panchayat.
Under GRAM SAMPAD, the government plans to pool resources from the VB-GRAM G scheme with various Central and state programmes and funding sources, including BGBO, CFC, SFC, CSR, DMF and MLALAD. The convergence is intended to provide financial resources, technical support and institutional assistance for developing assets based on local requirements.
The proposed community assets include model rural parks, panchayat libraries, marriage mandaps, playgrounds, ponds and other water bodies, rural haats and crematoriums. These facilities are envisaged to address rural needs related to recreation, education, sports, water security, livelihoods, social functions and environmental protection.
The Gram Panchayats will have a key role in identifying local requirements and appropriate sites, preparing plans through community participation, executing projects, maintaining records and ensuring the upkeep and management of the assets.
The government has also formulated Standard Operating Procedures covering planning, design, cost estimation, implementation, quality control and maintenance of the model assets. Under the convergence approach, each participating scheme will finance only its permissible components to avoid duplication and ensure effective utilisation of resources.
According to the GRAM SAMPAD information booklet, the estimated construction cost of a model playground is Rs 65.75 lakh, while a model marriage mandap is estimated at Rs 49 lakh. A model pond or water body would cost around Rs 34 lakh, followed by a model crematorium at Rs 22 lakh and a model rural park at Rs 20 lakh.
The estimated cost of a model rural haat has been pegged at Rs 16.50 lakh, while a model panchayat library would require around Rs 10 lakh.
The government said the success of GRAM SAMPAD would not be measured merely by the number of assets created, but by their actual utilisation, maintenance, community ownership and contribution to improving the quality of life in rural areas.
The initiative is aimed at promoting collective participation in developing modern, sustainable and accessible rural infrastructure and contributing to the broader goal of building a ‘Viksit Odisha’.
