RURAL areas did not get enough attention in the years after Independence as then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru focussed on big industries, and the Narendra Modi Government is seeking to change the face of Indian villages with different policies, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari said on Friday. Campaigning at Nilanga in central Maharashtra’s Latur district, he said the BJP-led Government wanted farmers in the country to become “energy producers”. “We got Independence in 1947. I do not want to criticize anyone, but ending unemployment, poverty, changing the face of villages, depends on how the policies of the State and Central Governments are framed,” the senior BJP leader said.

 

“In 1947, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru rolled out plans for big industries and roads. He had the Russian model before him. This led to villages being ignored. (Mahatma) Gandhi always said that India resides in villages. But it is unfortunate that there were no schools, teachers, roads, clean water, food-processing industries in the villages,” he said. This caused migration and the population of Indian cities grew by almost 40 per cent, Gadkari said, adding that people from rural areas of Latur, Dharashiv and Beed district went to cities for jobs. “We are trying to change the face of villages. Our Government has decided that villages should prosper, and the youth should get jobs there itself. For this, there is a need for policy change. The Government has taken many decisions in this regard,” the senior minister said.