GUWAHATI: Assam Governor Gulab Chand Kataria inaugurated the Panchayat Conference 2023 Phase II organized by the Assam Legislative Assembly at Srimanta Sankardeva Kalakshetra in the city today.
Speaking on the occasion, the Governor said, “Panchayati Raj institutions, as the pillars of India’s grassroots administrative system, hold immense significance in our democratic contour. I am hopeful that this conference presents a platform to the elected representatives of six districts, namely Kamrup (Metro), Kamrup (Rural), Nagaon, Morigaon, Darrang, and Nalbari, to raise their issues and discuss them to find agreeable solutions.”
Kataria also said, “India is a country of villages, and more than half of the country’s population lives in rural areas. Therefore, it is important for our villages to go forward and become catalysts for national development”. The Governor also advocated for creating a robust ecosystem where the resources of rural areas can be utilised to their optimal level for the development of human resources belonging to villages. He also reiterated the need to create vocations in the villages so that nobody remains unemployed. He also stressed setting goals for rural development, and keeping these goals in mind, the gramme sabhas should be organised for the expeditious development of the villages.
Underscoring the importance of women’s empowerment, the Governor said that women’s participation in the decision-making process under the Panchayati Raj system is important. He said that apart from motivating them, it is necessary to make use of the unbridled energy of the womenfolk for development. Information technology should also be used in the functioning of Panchayati Raj Institutions to lend transparency. The Governor expressed confidence that the conference would inspire, empower, and give new impetus to the people’s representatives for the uplift of the people and strengthen Panchayati Raj Institutions at the grassroots level.
The Speaker of Assam Legislative Assembly, Biswajit Daimary, while delivering the welcome address in the conference, said that in parliamentary democracy, Panchayati Raj Institutions have a vital role to play in the effective implementation of government schemes at the grassroots level. This Panchayat Conference is an initiative to strengthen the holistic approach to people’s welfare in the state. The issues raised and discussed in the conference will help empower the system and serve the people in a better way, Daimary added.
He also said that the Assam Legislative Assembly would compile a report encompassing the suggestions, issues, etc., raised by the stakeholders in the conference. The report would be submitted to the State Government for necessary amendments to the institutions.
Forest Minister Chandra Mohan Patwari, Health Minister Keshab Mahanta, Deputy Speaker ALA Dr.Numal Momin, PRI members, and a host of other dignitaries were present at the conference, a press release said.
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