'Smartgram' aims to reconstruct villages: Pranab

Gurgaon: Former president Pranab Mukherjee said Sunday that the ‘Smartgram’ initiatives were aimed to transform villages into happy, harmonious and hi-tech pla-ces, by connecting the villagers with the initiative. These villages have been adopted by the Pranab Mukherjee Foundation.

The foundation named after the former president that will initiate, support and execute projects aimed at improving the quality of life of people, was launched earlier this year in Delhi.

The ‘Smartgram’ initiative was inaugurated for five villages of Haryana — Tajnagar, Dhaula, Alip-ur, Harchandpur and Rojka Meo by Mr Mukh-erjee, who was then the President, on July 2, 2016.

“They are aimed to tran-sform villages into happy, harmonious and hi-tech villages, by connecting the villagers with the initiative,” Mr Mukherjee said while addressing people of Harchandpur, Alipur and Nayagaon villages in this district.

On May 1 last year, it was approved that the initiative be extended to 100 villages in the vicinity of the initially-selected five villages of Haryana.

Mr Mukherjee, along with Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khat-tar on Sunday, inaugurated Harchandpur ‘Smart-gram Gramalaya’ building, Smartgram Partner Processing Centre at village Harchandpur, Train-ing and Innovation Ware-house at village Alipur and ‘Water ATM’ at village Nayagaon and laid the foundation stone of ‘Nayagaon Happiness Square’ at Nayagaon village, in Gurgaon.

On the occasion, Mukh-erjee and Khattar also honoured the new entrepreneurs of these villages by giving them appreciation letter. Mr. Mukherjee also launched the “Selfie with Daughter” trophy at Alipur village and relea-sed booklet of “Laado-Rights” at Nayagon village. The former Presi-dent said that the aim of the ‘Pranab Mukherjee Foundation’ is to give pace to the development of villages by connecting its people, and in this, the support of various government departments, NGOs, etc.