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A Harmonious Village: A Journey towards Belonging and Prosperity 81

be several Sarpanches who have been given this responsibility
for the first time. I want to assure them and tell them not to be
afraid – I am a living example of a first-timer in a key position.

We have come up with a radical plan to provide good
governance to the villages. Gujarat is perhaps the first state in
the country that plans to develop the village organization with
the concept of Gujarat Gram Sachivalay. Bringing about a
revolution in governance will be possible only if good
governance is taught. So many times the best of plans are not
implemented – not for lack of funds, but due to lack of direction.
When I was newly appointed as the Chief Minister, I decided
that it is pointless to think that we know everything about
running the government and extremely important to gain
knowledge about good governance in the correct manner.

All my ministers and officers, totalling around 250,
including myself, went to IIM Ahmedabad to learn about
governance. We sat on benches like school students for three
days and learnt a lot about what was lacking in Gujarat and
how we can provide solutions to the problems of the state. After
this eye-opening experience, we have decided to become
students for three days every year. We invite eminent faculty to
teach us and learn a lot about development. Since we have
benefited from such learning, we want to share this benefit with
the entire state. For the next year, we have planned to provide
training to the sarpanches and members of Gram Panchayats
about planning and managing the development of their villages.
More than one and a half lakh elected representatives will be
included in this training programme. The State Government
will provide for a special budget for this important task that
will change the direction of our villages. I urge the sarpanches
and panchayat members to take one step – we will take two.
My wish is to provide the fruits of development even to the last
person in society, and my effort is to achieve this with the
cooperation of the Sarpanches and panchayat members.

Showcasing the Skills of the Villages
Many villages in our state have showcased their skills and

resourcefulness. For example, Bhujodi has become world