Seva Sankalp: Let Us Turn Service into a People’s Movement in Chhattisgarh

A Call for Service and Participation: Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai has appealed to citizens to turn the month-long Seva Sankalp Abhiyan, beginning September 17, into a people’s movement centred on service, cleanliness, environmental protection and assistance to those in need. He has also urged every family to light an ‘Aashirwad Ka Diya’ at 7 pm on September 17, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s birthday, as a symbol of wishes for his healthy and long life and a collective commitment to public welfare and Viksit Bharat. (Representational Image )

On Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s birthday, let every home light an ‘Aashirwad Ka Diya’ — a lamp carrying our wishes for his long and healthy life and our collective resolve for service, public welfare and a developed India

By Vishnu Deo Sai
Chief Minister of Chhattisgarh

Service is not merely an act of assistance. It is an expression of responsibility towards society and the nation. In Chhattisgarh, seva has always been deeply embedded in our culture, traditions and values.

It is with this spirit that I appeal to every citizen of Chhattisgarh to participate wholeheartedly in the Seva Sankalp Abhiyan, being organised from September 17 to October 17, 2026, and transform it into a festival of public participation.

September 17 is the birthday of our Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi. His journey in public life has been marked by a commitment to the nation and public service. As he completes 25 years in public life, the Seva Sankalp Abhiyan gives us an opportunity not merely to celebrate an occasion, but to reaffirm through our own actions the values of service, responsibility and collective progress.

The real strength of such an initiative will not be measured by the number of programmes organised. Its strength will come from ordinary citizens voluntarily becoming participants in service.

Service Must Reach Our Villages, Streets and Neighbourhoods

I believe every citizen can contribute.

One person can participate in a cleanliness drive. Another can plant or protect a tree. Someone can extend a helping hand to a family in need. Young people can contribute their time and energy to their communities. Social organisations can mobilise volunteers, while families can encourage their children to understand that citizenship carries responsibilities alongside rights.

During the Seva Sankalp Abhiyan, I appeal to the people of Chhattisgarh to participate actively in cleanliness, environmental protection, assistance to the needy and other forms of public service in their villages, towns and neighbourhoods.

More importantly, bring others with you.

Service becomes transformative when it moves beyond the individual and becomes janbhagidari — people’s participation.

Our Prime Minister has consistently connected development with public participation. Under his leadership, welfare and development initiatives have brought changes to the lives of millions of families through access to permanent housing, clean drinking water, electricity, roads, healthcare and education.

But behind every statistic of development is a human story.

There is a family entering a permanent home. There is a household receiving a basic facility that was once beyond its reach. There is a student gaining an opportunity, a woman becoming more economically secure, or a village gaining infrastructure that changes everyday life.

Development ultimately acquires meaning when it improves the life of the citizen.

On September 17, Light an ‘Aashirwad Ka Diya’

On the evening of September 17 at 7 pm, I have a special request for every family in Chhattisgarh.

Light an ‘Aashirwad Ka Diya’ in your home.

Let us also encourage beneficiary families and people around us to participate in this initiative.

This lamp should carry the good wishes of the people of Chhattisgarh for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s healthy and long life. But I would like it to symbolise something more.

Let it represent our commitment to service, public welfare and the creation of a developed India.

A lamp has a special place in our civilisation. It represents hope, knowledge and the victory of light over darkness. On September 17, let this lamp also represent a citizen’s resolve to contribute, however modestly, to society.

If millions of individual acts of service come together, they can become a powerful force for social change.

Viksit Bharat Needs a Viksit Chhattisgarh

India is moving forward with the resolve of Viksit Bharat. Chhattisgarh is determined to make a strong contribution to that national journey.

A developed India cannot be built only in capitals or major cities. It will become a reality when our villages develop, our cities progress and every family becomes part of the mainstream of development.

That is why the idea of Viksit Bharat and our aspiration for a Viksit Chhattisgarh are inseparable.

Government certainly has an enormous responsibility. We must build infrastructure, improve education and healthcare, create opportunities for young people, support farmers and women, protect the vulnerable and ensure that the benefits of development reach the last citizen.

But government alone cannot build the society we envision.

Citizens are partners in development.

When government initiatives meet community participation, their impact becomes deeper and more lasting. When cleanliness becomes everyone’s responsibility, neighbourhoods change. When environmental protection becomes a collective commitment, future generations benefit. When communities stand beside those in need, society becomes stronger.

This is the spirit in which I see the Seva Sankalp Abhiyan.

A Month of Service, A Resolve for the Future

The campaign will run from September 17 to October 17, but the spirit behind it should not end after one month.

Service cannot be confined to a calendar.

The larger purpose should be to strengthen a culture in which helping others, protecting our surroundings, participating in community development and contributing to the nation become natural parts of our lives.

I therefore appeal to students, young people, women, farmers, professionals, public representatives, social organisations and citizens from every section of Chhattisgarh: choose an act of service and become part of this collective endeavour.

On September 17, let an Aashirwad Ka Diya glow in our homes.

And from September 17 to October 17, let the spirit represented by that lamp travel beyond our doorsteps — into our villages, neighbourhoods, schools, communities and public spaces.

Let us together make the Seva Sankalp Abhiyan a festival of janbhagidari in Chhattisgarh and strengthen our resolve to build a developed Chhattisgarh as a powerful partner in the journey towards a developed India.