Retired IAS officer Ajay Shankar Pandey organized the campaign ‘Sadbhawna Gram Yojana’ to establish and maintain harmony in the villages during and after the elections. The winning and losing candidates join hands together and vow to work with the sole aim of developing their villages.
Lucknow: The campaign run by retired IAS officer Ajay Shankar Pandey aims towards the upliftment of all people. After the announcement of the election results, the winning and losing party come together to show their spirit and sportsmanship. Recently, on the occasion of Independence Day, the head of the village invited the person, who had contended with him in the Pradhan elections, to hoist the Indian flag.
What is Sadbhawna Gram Yojana?
Under this campaign, the elected village heads of the Panchayat elections and the opposing candidates unite after the announcement of the results without any bitter feeling for each other’s parties. They work closely together at different positions. Regular meetings are held, and the progress of the village is assessed.
The campaign ‘Sadbhawna Gram Yojana’ is working towards the promotion of fraternity in the village. The different parties compete in the elections for winning but with the same purpose of establishing and maintaining harmony in their village. After the news spread to other villages, the local villages of Hapur also adopted the same campaign and showcased togetherness post the completion of the elections.
Pradhani elections
Ajay Shankar Pandey shares that the communities are divided into groups after certain parties win in the elections. A sense of discord permeates among people and the situation remains exactly the same for the next five years. This way, the harmony is disrupted, and the quiet atmosphere of a village is spoilt.
Sadbhawna Gram Yojana was organized with an intention to put this discord and strife at bay. The representatives of various parties are brought together on one platform, and everyone vows to work for the betterment of the village. The winning candidates are reminded about their responsibilities that they must fulfil their duties honestly and maintain a record of the progress.
Defeated candidate as development advisor
The candidate who loses in the election is declared as the development advisor of the village. They cooperate with other party and contribute their bit for making progress in the village. Ajay Shankar shares that people don’t compete in elections with an intention of sitting at home after not being able to win. They must maintain their vigour and enthusiasm for giving their helping hand to engage in the development work. Regular block wise meetings are held with the defeated Pradhan to ensure the smooth prosperity of the village.
Bringing in a change
Ajay Shankar Pandey, who is an ex-IAS officer, retired from the post of Commissioner of Jhansi in 2022. He continued with his social work and launched the campaign in Prayagraj district in June 2023. There are 22 development blocks in Prayagraj, and these meetings have been organized in almost 10 villages. The campaign has successfully brought Gram Pradhans and the defeated Pradhans together in 8 development blocks.
Work in Hapur
According to Ajay Shankar Pandey, it creates a substantial impact in the village, if the losing candidates are announced as development advisors rather than the defeated candidate of the losing party. In Hapur, the Gram Pradhans and the runner-up heads from Upaida, Bankhanda, Bhahyur Batt, Bhatail, Simrauli villages have come together to stand as leading beacons for the public.
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