Gandhinagar: The state govt on Friday organised a function to felicitate newly elected sarpanches and members of gram panchayats for which elections were held recently. The govt also allotted a sum of Rs 35 crore to 761 gram panchayats where the sarpanch and panchayat members were elected through consensus.Speaking at the event, chief minister Bhupendra Patel urged newly elected village heads and members to maintain cleanliness in the state’s villages. He added that the state doubled the monthly allowance from Rs 4 to Rs 8 per person for maintaining cleanliness.A sum of Rs 35 crore was allocated as an incentive grant to 761 ‘samras’ gram panchayats, while an additional Rs 1,236 crore was allocated for various development works in gram panchayats of the state.Union jal shakti minister C R Paatil said that it is the moral duty of every village head to ensure the holistic development of the village, protect democratic processes and contribute significantly to building a developed Gujarat. He urged all newly elected sarpanches and panchayat members to promote ‘Catch the Rain’ scheme by initiating water conservation projects in their respective villages.