At least 14 villages of Sirmaur district, which have been identified as model villages under the Pradhan Mantri Adarsh Gram
Yojana, will soon have solar lights. The authorities had earmarked Rs 9.21 crore to be spent on 180 development works in these villages. Of the identified villages, six are from Sangrah development block, two each from Shillai and Rajgarh, three from Nahan and one from Pacchad.
These villages were selected by the Union Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, which is implementing this scheme. Each village will receive Rs 20 lakh as a gap-filing component while the remaining funds are being generated from the allied departments such as the PWD, Irrigation and Public Health, Agriculture and Health.

• Under Phase II of the Central scheme, 2,200 households in these 14 villages were surveyed and an assessment was carried out about the lack of facilities, including bank accounts, soil health card, school drop-out rate, vaccination, toilet, roads and anganwari centres.
• A village development plan had been chalked out and presented before the gram sabha to involve the participation of villagers.
• Works such as installation of solar lights and sanitary vending machines in all senior secondary schools in these villages as well as incinerators will be taken up immediately. 
• Other measures such as encouraging school dropouts to join back to ensure the minimum matric-level education will be taken up.
• The DC will monitor the monthly progress to ensure that the earmarked development works are completed in a planned manner. With village, district and state-level committees reviewing its progress, the scheme is slated to benefit the Scheduled Caste-dominated villages.

Pradhan Mantri Adarsh Gram Yojana (PMAGY)

PMAGY is a Government of India initiative for the empowerment of deprived sections, aims to achieve integrated development of selected villages through convergent implementation of all relevant Central and State schemes. The scheme was launched in March, 2010 on a pilot basis for the integrated development of 1000 villages each with more than 50% SC population.

Vision of an “Adarsh Gram” (Model Village)

• A Model village is one which has adequate physical and institutional infrastructure, in which minimum needs of all sections of the society are fully met; they live in harmony with each other, as also with the environment, and a village which is progressive and dynamic.
• These villages should be covered with all the facilities necessary for dignified living, creating thereby an environment in which all its residents are enabled to utilise their potential to the fullest. These villages should, inter alia, satisfy the following norms:

Physical Infrastructure

• Should be connected to the nearest major road by an all-weather road. Likewise, in case of a multi-hamlet village, all hamlets should be connected with each other by an all-weather road.
• Access for all to safe drinking water on a sustainable basis.
• All houses should have electricity.
• The village should have slush-free internal roads, and adequate street lighting.
• Village should have adequate communication facilities, such as post-office, telephones, and, if possible, internet, and Bharat Nirman Common Service Centre (being established by the Deptt. of Information Technology).
• Availability of adequate banking facilities through regular (brick and mortar) branches in the village or in close proximity, and through Business Correspondent/Business Facilitator Model.
• All residents should have adequate housing, and there should be no homeless family.

Sanitation and Environment

• The village should have a high degree of sanitation- it should be free from dry latrines, and open defecation, and should have sanitary toilets, drains and an efficient waste disposal system. It should, as far as possible, fulfil “Nirmal Gram Puraskar” norms.
• The Village should take care of its environment through (1) planting trees, (2) water harvestation and maintenance of water bodies (3) use of renewable sources of energy, such as biogas, solar energy, wind energy, (4) use of smokeless chulhas, etc.

Social Infrastructure, Human Development and Social Harmony

• Should have an Anganwadi centre and schools of appropriate levels.
• The village should have adequate and attractive building for its anganwadi, school, health centre, panchayat, and community hall. The village should have adequate facility for sports and other physical activities.
• All children in the age-group of 3-6 should be enrolled in, and regularly attend the Anganwadi. Likewise, all children in the 6-14 age group should be enrolled in, and regularly attend school.
• All adults should be at least functionally literate, and should have access to facilities for continuing education.
• Access for all to primary health care and Reproductive Child Health (RCH) facilities, with proper pre-natal and ante-natal care for mothers.
• 100% institutional deliveries, full immunization of children, and observance of the small family norm.
• The village as a community should take special care of its women, children (especially girls), senior citizens, and persons with disabilities.
• There should be no public consumption of liquor or any other intoxicating substances, and their use in general should be discouraged.
• The village should have an active Gram Sabha/Gram Panchayat, women’s/swarozgaris’ Self-help Group, youth club and Mahila mandal.
• There should be no caste-based discrimination, complete eradication of untouchability, and a due sense of security and dignity among the weaker sections.
• Residents of the village should be aware of and exercise their constitutional and legal rights. Likewise, they should also be aware of and discharge their fundamental and civic duties.

Livelihood

• All youth and adults of the village should have adequate employment and means of livelihood, and there should be adequate arrangements for development of skills among them, so that as many of them as possible are in skilled employment.
• Progressive and efficient practices, based on new technology, should be used in all the economic activities pursued in the village, especially in agriculture, animal husbandry, fisheries etc.
• Should have adequate access to remunerative prices for agricultural and other produce of the village.

Objective

• To ensure integrated development of the selected villages into “model villages” so that, inter alia,
• They have all requisite physical and social infrastructure for their socio-economic development, and satisfy the norms mentioned in the vision of an adarsh gram to the maximum possible extent.
• Disparity between SC and non-SC population in terms of common socio- economic indicators (e.g. literacy rate, completion rate of elementary education, IMR/MMR, ownership of productive assets, etc.) is eliminated, the indicators are raised to at least the level of the national average, and
• All BPL families, especially those belonging to SCs, have food and livelihood security, and are enabled to cross the poverty line and earn an adequate livelihood
• All children complete at least eight years of education, and
• Incidence of malnutrition, especially among children and women, is eliminated.
• Untouchability, discrimination, segregation, and atrocities against SCs are eliminated, as are other social evils like discrimination against girls/women,alcoholism and substance (drugs) abuse, etc., and all sections of society are able to live with dignity and equality, and in harmony with others.

Implementation
The scheme is being implemented by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, Government of India. To ensure focused attention, the selected States are to select villages from same, or 2-3 contiguous districts and give preference to the more backward districts. The development of the villages has to be ensured through:

• Convergent implementation of existing Schemes of the Centre and State Governments, and
• The works which could not be covered under the above, to be taken up through provision of "gap-filling" funds for which central assistance is provided @ Rs. 10 lakh per village revised to Rs. 20 lakhs per village at an average w.e.f. Sep. 2011, with State Government also expected to make a suitable, preferably matching, contribution.
• Based on the experience gained in the pilot phase, the scheme will be considered for implementation on a larger scale.