Naravi gram panchayat gets a modern facility

Naravi gram panchayat gets a modern facility

Mangalore Today News Network

Aug 30, 2016: The Naravi Gram Panchayat, which covers the Maoist-infested villages Naravi and Kuthlur, has constructed a modern building for the panchayat at a cost of Rs 80 lakh, it is first such development. The village residents and local organisations have contributed a sum of Rs 20 lakh for the building construction.

Inaugurating the new building on Aug 29, Monday, District In-charge Minister B Ramanath Rai felt for a need to strengthen the Panchayat Raj system. Minister Rai said the Panchayat Raj system has opened itself to many positive changes due to the Panchayat Raj (Amendment)Act 1973, when compared to earlier times. "In the past  only people from higher communities had representations in Gram Panchayats. Today, even people from the lower strata of the society have been heading the Gram and Zilla Panchayats," he added.

He went on to say, 29 new Panchayats have been formed in Dakshina Kannada district and the state government has set up a committee for Panchayat development under the leadership of Minister K R Ramesh Kumar.

The minister said Bapuji Seva Kendra has been started to provide 100 essential services to the people. Among them, 40 are related to revenue, 43 are Panchayat-related and 17 are other services. About 5,000 RTCs have been distributed to people in 230 Gram Panchayats through Bapuji Seva Kendra.

MP Nalin Kumar Kateel, who was the chief guest, said Gandhiji’s dream of national development through self-reliant villages could be fulfilled when Gram Panchayats are not involved in party politics. He stated, "A Gram Panchayats must try to develop villages in an integrated way from funds granted by the state and the Union governments. Non-availability of title deeds, lack of own building and lack of direct funds are the hurdles faced by the Gram Panchayats," he said.

Kateel urged the MLAs and MLCs to put forth the demand for direct funds before the government. He noted that many gram panchayats have not been able to take up development projects despite having a master plan, due to lack of direct funds.

Indeed it was big surprise with all the invitees whose names had been printed in the invitation being present during the programme. They were Belthangady MLA Vasant Bangera, Zilla Panchayat President Meenakshi Shantigodu, MLC Pratap Chandra Shetty, MLC Kota Srinivas Poojary, Belthangady Taluk Panchayat President Divyajyoti, Naravi Gram Panchayat President P Ravindra Poojary, Zilla Panchayat member from Naravi, Dharanendra Kumar, Taluk Panchayat member from Naravi Roopalata and Zilla Panchayat CEO P I Srividya.