The Ministry of Rural Development will organise a two-day National Chintan Shivir on September 4–5, 2025, in Udaipur, Rajasthan. The event, announced by Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare & Rural Development, Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan, will bring together ministers, senior officials, domain experts, and community representatives to deliberate on strategies for strengthening rural development.
Speaking via video conference with state rural development ministers, Shri Chouhan highlighted that the Shivir will focus on achieving the vision of poverty-free villages and prosperous rural communities as envisioned by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi. He underlined that discussions will examine gaps in current schemes, explore new employment opportunities, and chart a roadmap for the next five years of rural growth.
Shri Chouhan expressed gratitude to state governments for their cooperation in the success of the ‘Lakhpati Didi’ initiative, under which more than two crore rural women have crossed the annual income milestone of ₹1 lakh. He said the Ministry is close to achieving the target of three crore such women. “This transformation reflects the empowerment of women in villages and their contribution to a self-reliant rural economy,” he added.
He also noted the progress of flagship programmes like the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana – Gramin, MGNREGA, Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana, and various skill development schemes that are boosting rural livelihoods and infrastructure.
The meeting was attended by Union Minister of State for Rural Development Dr. Chandrashekhar Pemmasani and Rural Development Secretary Shri Shailesh Kumar Singh. Senior officials emphasised that the Chintan Shivir will provide a platform for sharing best practices, innovative models, and collaborative solutions to address challenges faced by rural India.
