The campaign was discussed during a video conference chaired by Union Agriculture and Farmers Welfare and Rural Development Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan with state agriculture and rural development ministers. State governments have been asked to mobilise beneficiaries and ensure participation across villages and towns.
The diyas will be lit at beneficiaries’ homes as well as at panchayat buildings, Amrit Sarovars, hospitals and other public places. Participants will also be encouraged to share photographs and videos of the campaign on social media.
Chouhan said the initiative was intended to reflect the connection between welfare schemes and the people who have benefited from them. “This is not merely a lamp made of clay and oil. It is a lamp of the hopes and faith of crores of people and of the resolve to build a developed India,” he said.
The minister also linked September 17 to Prime Minister Modi completing 25 years in public life as chief minister and prime minister, describing the occasion as significant for beneficiaries of government programmes.
According to figures cited during the meeting, more than 80 crore people receive free foodgrains under the government’s food security programmes, while around 10 crore farmer families are covered by PM-Kisan. More than 10 crore women are associated with self-help groups, with 3.47 crore women identified as Lakhpati Didis.
The government also said more than 4.95 crore people have received permanent houses under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana.
Beneficiaries of schemes including MUDRA, PM SVANidhi and PM Vishwakarma, along with members of Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe communities, fishers, persons with disabilities and ex-servicemen, may also participate.
The campaign will include messages in local languages, while Padma Shri awardees, farmers and other prominent beneficiaries may be involved in local events.
The government has presented the initiative as an expression of gratitude by beneficiaries and a celebration of their association with welfare and development programmes.
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