President calls for affordable, effective facilities in villages

Affordable and effective infrastructural facilities should be created in villages so that youths do not have to migrate to cities for work, President Pranab Mukherjee said on Friday.

Making a clarion call for the development of rural India, he said the 'SmartGram' initiative was a step in this direction.

The president was here to lay the foundation stone of a Driver's Training Institute and a Secondary School under the SMARTGRAM Initiative. Three new Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Kendras (PMKKs) at Mahendragarh, Ambala and Palwal were also inaugurated.

"Our villages not only have the capacity to develop but are also eager for development. If we keep moving ahead in this manner, the day is not far when our youth would not need to leave villages for cities in search of better avenues.

"Good and affordable health services would be available for all and the youth would get training and employment in the vicinity of villages itself," he said.