Prime Minister Narendra Modi called for ending "sarpanch-pati" culture in panchayats, referring to the practice of husbands of women sarpanch calling shots, while addressing a conference on National Panchayati Raj Day on Friday. Mahatma Gandhi said that India lives in the villages. We need to think of how to develop our villages," PM Modi said at the conference. "There must be a mindset of 'gaurav' and 'samman' towards our villages. We must be proud of our villages," he said. Saying that in any village, the dreams of the people are big, Modi added: "In every village, think about what you can achieve in the next five years for your village". Emphasising on the need for education, the prime minister said: "School dropouts should worry us. Any child dropping out of school in the village is a cause of concern. Everyone must get education."
