Tucked away in the Benipatti block of Bihar's Madhubani district, the village of Bankatta-Damodarpur still carries the tag of an 'Adarsh Gram', or model village. Once counted among the most backward villages in the district, it was promised a complete makeover under an ambitious government scheme. A decade on, a ground check reveals a mixed picture — some things have changed, but much of what was promised remains unfinished.
The Scheme That Sparked Hope
In October 2014, the central government launched a scheme under which every MP was required to adopt one backward village in their constituency and develop it. The idea was to give the village a blueprint — covering education, the health sector, social justice, water, drains and every small and large need — and make it self-reliant. Put simply, the MP was expected to nurture the village and raise it up the way one would a son.
Hukumdev Yadav's Adoption and the 'Adarsh Gram' Tag
Acting on this idea, the then MP Hukumdev Narayan Yadav adopted Bankatta-Damodarpur in 2014. Because the village fell in an extremely backward pocket, it was chosen for development and given the label of a model village. The plan was to transform it between 2014 and 2016 — roughly within two years.
Work in the First Two Years, Then a Standstill
Speaking to residents and people in the surrounding area, one common thread emerged: the work happened only in the first two years after the village was adopted. During that window, Bankatta-Damodarpur got a panchayat bhavan, schools were built, an anganwadi centre opened and a few minor works were carried out. But for roughly the past ten years since then, no work appears to have taken place in the village.
A New MP, but the Old One Still in Their Hearts
About a dozen villagers were spoken to, each with their own opinion. Several said that Hukumdev Narayan Yadav is no longer the MP for the area and no longer visits, yet he remains in people's hearts to this day. The reason: development or no development, he used to meet people, treating their hardships as his own, offering sympathy and working for them. The constituency's MP is now his son, Ashok Kumar Yadav, but villagers complain that he never comes here.
Not a Full Turnaround, but Some Improvement
Bankatta-Damodarpur, called a model village of Madhubani district, may not have reached the level envisioned in the scheme, but given how extremely backward it once was, there has been some change. People here have taken to studying, the condition of the school is good, and the panchayat bhavan, drains and a pond stand as evidence of this mixed progress.
