Jaipur, Oct. 3 -- Chief minister Bhajan Lal Sharma on Friday urged all village heads to ensure that benefits of government schemes reach every eligible person, saying the sarpanch is often the first point of contact for people seeking solutions to their problems. Addressing the Panchayati Raj public representatives' interaction programme at Takshila Auditorium, Sharma said Prime Minister Narendra Modi had described Panchayati Raj institutions and sarpanches as the "axis of development" of the country. "The first priority of every sarpanch should be to ensure that the benefits of government schemes reach every needy person. For this, they should continuously engage with people in their villages," Sharma said. The programme was held on Gandhi Jayanti. Sharma said the occasion reminded people of Mahatma Gandhi's ideals of truth, non-violence, cleanliness, Gram Swaraj, self-reliance and public participation. Sharing his experience as a sarpanch, he said he had worked among villagers to ensure delivery of government schemes and had also organised cataract camps. "Strong villages will make Rajasthan strong. If gram panchayats function with transparency, accountability and public participation, both the pace and impact of development will increase," he said. Sharma said the BJP-led government had given Rajasthan a new direction in nearly three years, claiming that good governance, transparency and public service had been made the hallmarks of administration. He said 193,000 appointments had been given to youth, while recruitment for another 118,000 posts was under way. A recruitment calendar for around 125,000 posts had also been released. The government is preparing a roadmap for village development through the "Chief Minister Developed Village-Urban Ward Campaign". Atal Gyan Kendras are also being established at the panchayat level, with libraries, e-libraries, online coaching and e-Mitra facilities, he said. Sharma said the annual assistance under the PM-Kisan Samman Nidhi had been increased to Rs.9,000, with over 7.6 million farmers receiving over Rs.14,400 crore. The government has also set a target of providing daytime electricity to farmers across the state by 2027. He said social security pension had been increased to Rs.1,450 per month. Under PMAY-Gramin, 382,000 houses had been completed and another 453,000 were in construction. Around 10,000 km of missing-link roads had been constructed in rural areas, while Rs.813 crore had been sanctioned for 327 Atal Pragati Paths, of which 282 had been completed....