Centre’s steps prompt State to have Geographical Information System-based Gram Panchayat plans

Our Correspondent

Itanagar: Arunachal Pradesh has decided to have Geographical Information System (GIS) based Gram Panchayat plans for about 228 Gram Panchayats across all the blocks of the State as per the Centre’s guidelines.

The Centre in pursuance to IT-based solutions for improving the planning and implementation of the world’s largest wage employment schemes under Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) has decided for mandatory identification of two GPs per block from all over the country for using the GIS.

To ensure early compliance of the centre’s directives, the state government through the State Institute of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj began a series of training-cum-workshops on GIS based GP planning under MGNREGA here from May 15 last.

The programme was attended by about 50 identified STRTs, DTRTs and BTRTs from Papum Pare district and Lower Subansiri district representing 12 CD blocks along with a few other officers from RD department and faculties of SIRD&PR.

It aimed at re-orienting the officials on various tools for GIS-based planning with the help of Bhuvan Portal, which is an ISRO and NRSA’s Geo-portal Gateway to Indian Earth Observation offering wide varieties of visualization services including supporting better planning and implementation of the flagship initiatives of the government. The programme also covered a wide range of topics including data processing, analysis, and preparation maps and integrated GP plans under MGNREGA, particularly in accordance with the prescribed formats.

Rural Development and Panchayati Raj Secretary Rinchin Tashi outlined the initiatives being taken by the state government for completing the entire process of having the GIS-based GP plans for 228 GPs in the state on a war footing within July next. Appreciating the initial steps being taken by SIRD&PR in coordinating the programmes, Tashi directed all participating officials to use the learning experience for the speedy process of completing the plan preparation process as directed by the ministry.

He also highlighted the importance of renewed emphasis given by MoRD under MGNREGA implementation using GIS-based planning as a means to an end in achieving saturation of development aspirations of the Gram Panchayats by 2022, an official release informed here today.

The objective of the interface was to initiate the planning process in the GP and familiarize the entire planning process to the communities who are going to be part of the entire process of the GIS-based planning.

Also read: Arunachal news