Chief Minister of Gujarat has announced that 16 villages across five districts are now designated as smart villages, in accordance with the state’s development strategy of establishing one smart village per taluka. These villages were carefully selected as part of the Smart Village Incentive Scheme initiated by the State Government. In Rajkot district, six villages have been identified as smart villages: Raidi, Thanagallol, Virnagar, Anandpara (New), Satapara, and Lodhika. Moreover, five villages in Junagadh district have been included: Chorwadi, Samdhiyala, Dhandhusar, Matiana, and Balagam. Additionally, one village each in Jamnagar (Pipar, Wakiya, Sidsar), Botad (Adtala), and Navsari (Mahuvar) districts of South Gujarat have been incorporated, making a total of 16 villages. This Notification was published on 20.02.2024.
To promote the holistic development of these chosen villages under the Smart Village Incentive Scheme, each Gram Panchayat will receive a grant of five lakh rupees. This grant will play a vital role in self-funding the villages’ development initiatives. The Smart Village Scheme, formulated under the Chief Minister’s leadership, has laid out criteria for selecting these Smart Villages. These criteria underscore the utilization of cutting-edge technology, improvement of villagers’ standard of living while preserving rural traditions, provision of essential infrastructure facilities, and enhancement of the village’s economic, social, and environmental significance. Smart villages are also envisioned to serve as exemplary models of “Good Governance” for others and operate as experimental centers. Selection criteria encompass road connectivity, proximity to roads, location on state highways where feasible, fundamental amenities such as paved roads, drainage systems, street lighting, sanitation, and a population ranging between 2000 and 6000.
