By Sanjaya Jena
RSS Sarsanghachalak Shri K.S. Sudarshan has urged planners to focus on the villages for a strong and vibrant Bharat. He was addressing the annual function of Utkal Bipanna Sahayata Samiti (UBSS) in Bhubaneswar. Shri Sudarshan was on a four-day tour to Orissa recently.
To take this country to its eternal glory, the RSS Sarsanghachalak stressed the importance of local self-government and participation of people in the developmental process. He said Panchayati Raj institution is the only passport to growth and development in a vast country like India. ?Importance to grassroots could make people in the bottom get benefits of developmental initiatives,? he pointed out.
Terming Bharat as village-based economy, the Sarsanghachalak said: ?Village-oriented developmental model and village-centric governance are the need of the hour.?
Stating that Panchayati Raj system is close to the hearts of people of this country since time immemorial, Shri Sudarshan said people of all castes and creeds had representation in Indian Panchayati Raj institution in older days as well.
Gandhian model of development centered round this Panchayati Raj concept, he said. ?Engagement to everybody and water to every land? could ensure development of the country, he opined.
Jehad of Islam, conversion by Christianity and American hegemony are three major challenges that world is confronting today, the RSS chief pointed out.
Saying that Western culture lacks human values, he said Bharatiya culture has the potential to show light to the world and predicted it would happen very soon.
In the function, Shri Sudarshan inaugurated the UBSS website www.ubssseva.org. A disaster-mitigation body supported by RSS swayamsevaks, UBSS'sservices during the last super cyclone in 1999 were appreciated even by the worst RSS critics.
During his tour, he reviewed the progress of organisational works of RSS and other associated organisations working in various fields. Shri Sudarshan stressed the need to take Sangh presence right up to all Panchayats in the state.
RSS has shakhas at 2273 places in Orissa. In 8072 places, RSS mouthpiece Sanskrutika Jagaran has its circulation. In 512 places, health services, libraries and bal sanskar kendras are run by RSS in the state.
Er. Ashok Kumar Das was unanimously elected as Prant Sanghachalak. Earlier Shri Siva Ram Mohapatra was discharging the said responsibility. Shri Bipin Bihari Nanda as Prant Karyavah, Shri Gopal Prasad Mohapatra and Shri Durga Prasad Sahu as Sah-Prant Karyavahs and Shri Ajit Prasad Mohapatra and Shri Jagdish Prasad Khadanga as Prant Pracharak and Sah-Prant Pracharak respectively were formally elected.
In the meeting extensive discussion on the year-long Shri Guruji birth-centenary celebrations was held and programmes were chalked out.
