National Panchayati Raj Day celebrated in Arunachal Pradesh

A CORRESPONDENT

ITANAGAR: Joining with the rest of the nation, Arunachal Pradesh on Monday celebrated the National Panchayati Raj Day which marks a defining moment in the history of decentralization of power to the grassroots, and reminds of the vital role grassroots democracy play in shaping India’s future.

The day was celebrated at the Dorjee Khandu State Conventional Hall here and was organized by the department of Panchayati Raj. It was attended by Chief Minister Pema Khandu, cabinet ministers, MLAs, officers and officials of various departments, resource persons from several other states, and panchayat leaders from across the state. Addressing the gathering, Chief Minister Khandu asserted that rural Arunachal needs to be developed first for Arunachal Pradesh to be called a developed state.

In this regard, the Chief Minister called for synchronization among various departments and Panchayati Raj Institutions with proper planning. He also called for widespread adoption of convergence model in undertaking various developmental projects. He also exhorted the Panchayat leaders to play a pro-active role in transforming rural Arunachal into a sustainable self-reliant one, and advised them to strive for achieving performer to front-runner to achiever status. The Chief Minister also suggested PRIs to involve educated youths in gram sabhas to ensure best possible plan for village development.

Panchayati Raj and Rural Development Minister Bamang Felix in his speech emphasized Panchayati Raj Institutions making best use of the State Own Resources (SOR) funds allocated to them. Informing that in financial year 2022-23, the SOR funds to the PRIs had increased from Rs 123 crore to Rs 143 crore, minister Felix advised the PRIs to also take up revenue generating projects in their respective villages.

Citing the four-day workshop on ‘Implementation of Devolution of Powers and SDGs in Arunachal Pradesh: Approaches for Localization and Convergence through PRIs’, which is being conducted as part of the National Panchayati Raj Day celebrations, Felix urged all participants to gain as much knowledge as possible and disseminate the same in their respective areas.

Stating the workshop as ‘training of trainers’, Felix exhorted all 225 trainees, including from ArSRLM, research scholars of Rajiv Gandhi University, etc., to clear all their doubts on LSDGs and convergence from the experts who have arrived from various other states as resource persons.

Chief Secretary Dharmendra and Secretary RD/PR Amarnath Talwade also spoke on the occasion. Meanwhile, the occasion also witnessed the release of handbook ‘Localization of Sustainable Development Goals’ and a brief booklet ‘Panchayati Raj Institutions and its functioning in Arunachal Pradesh with special reference to Devolution of Power to PRIs’, screening of short films on LSDG and SOR and other activities under the Department of PR.

An LSDG-based ‘Model Village’ was also set up as part of the celebration which was earlier visited by the dignitaries and guests.