Union Home Minister Amit Shah | Photo Credit: ANI

Union Home Minister and Gandhinagar Lok Sabha MP Amit Shah on Saturday directed the district administration to carry out a comprehensive survey to identify villages still lacking basic amenities such as household LPG connections, toilets, drinking water, irrigation facilities and electricity, and submit a detailed report, as he sought to plug the remaining infrastructure gaps through targeted government intervention.

Chairing the District Development Coordination and Monitoring Committee (DISHA) meeting in Gandhinagar, Shah asked officials to immediately map uncovered households and habitations so that the benefits of flagship Central government schemes reach every eligible beneficiary. The exercise comes as the country has begun the Census process, which is expected to generate updated household-level demographic and infrastructure data.

The Union minister also directed officials to identify all eligible landholding farmers and work towards ensuring that each of them owns at least two livestock animals, saying livestock could provide an additional and stable source of income and strengthen the economic resilience of rural households. With parts of Gujarat witnessing delayed monsoon rainfall, Shah instructed the district administration to prepare an immediate contingency plan and conduct a survey of non-irrigated areas to assess vulnerabilities and plan mitigation measures.

In the education sector, Shah called for the establishment of cluster schools by grouping three to four villages to reduce dropout rates among girls at the secondary level. He also asked officials to increase awareness of newly established libraries, encourage reading habits among students and integrate them with the district’s central library. On healthcare, Shah directed officials to launch a mission-mode drive to ensure that every resident above the age of 70 receives an Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PM-JAY) card without delay.

He also suggested revisiting eligibility norms under the Mukhyamantri Gram Sadak Yojana, proposing that habitations with at least 35 households having electricity connections should qualify as villages for road connectivity under the scheme.

The directions were issued during the DISHA committee meeting attended by Gujarat Deputy Chief Minister Harsh Sanghavi, Members of Parliament, MLAs, the District Collector, District Development Officer and senior officials. DISHA committees, constituted by the Union Ministry of Rural Development, review the implementation of Centrally sponsored schemes and monitor development projects at the district level.

Published on June 27, 2026