PIONEER EDGE NEWS SERVICE | Dehradun
Chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has directed officials to construct integrated Panchayat Bhawans across the State. These facilities will house various local officials, including the Gram Panchayat Development Officer, Patwari and ASHA workers, allowing them to be in one location. He emphasised this during a meeting of the Panchayati Raj department held on Thursday.
CM also instructed that the integrated Panchayat Bhawans should include designated areas for these officials to sit together. This initiative aims to provide residents with all necessary services in a single location. Additionally, he highlighted the need to enhance budget planning across Gram Panchayats, block Panchayats and district Panchayats, ensuring that all Gram Panchayats have a well-structured development plan.
To further support local governance, he directed officials to offer training in modern technology, financial management and governance to newly elected village heads, block Panchayat members and district Panchayat members. He stressed that collective efforts are essential to realise Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of making India a developed nation by 2047, asserting that the development of the State and the country hinges on the progress of rural areas.
Dhami also tasked the Panchayati Raj department with assessing how much rural land is expected to transition to urban status over the next 15 years, as this evaluation will be crucial for the overall development of the State. He expressed that villagers should be encouraged to celebrate the foundation day of the Gram Sabhas as a festival, with a regular calendar established for such celebrations. These festivities could coincide with fairs, community gatherings, the birth anniversaries of notable individuals and other significant local events.
Further, the CM stated that development in block and district Panchayats should be integrated and balanced, ensuring that no region or individual is excluded from accessing development schemes. He called for real-time monitoring of all initiatives at the Panchayat level, along with the promotion of e-governance. All Panchayat activities should be audited and made available on public portals, ensuring public input and involvement in development efforts. He underscored the importance of establishing a fixed, timely process for filing complaints and resolving them at each Panchayat level.
