Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, July 19: In order to further strengthen the Panchayati Raj System in Jammu and Kashmir, the State level High Powered Committee headed by Chief Secretary Mohammad Iqbal Khanday discussed and approved the Annual Plan 2013-14 under Rajiv Gandhi Panchayat Sashaktikaran Abhiyan (RGPSA) to the tune of Rs 55.50 crore for funding.
Maintaining that capacity building and training of all Panchayat functionaries is important for efficient functioning of Panchayats in the State, Chief Secretary asked for organizing more exposure visits to different outside State Panchayats to acquaint them with their working. He also called for performing a Base Line Survey to generate effective Data Bank at Halqa Panchayat level to help Panchayats in the development of plans.
It was informed in the meeting that State Panchayat Resource Centres (SPRCs) and District Panchayat Resource Centres (DPRCs) are planned to be established under RGPSA in various districts. Moreover, Rs 50,000 will be provided to each Halqa Panchayat for various services including street lighting, sanitation, repairs of Halqa assets etc under the Scheme. For administrative and technical support to Panchayats, services of 4 member team comprising Panchayat Development officer, Accountant Cum Data Entry Operator, Panchayat Sahayak and Junior Engineer are needed under the scheme. As such the total requirement of personnel for data entry operator is 2064 with a target of 518 operators during the current financial year and placement of 1032 Panchayat Sahayaks, the meeting was informed.
Besides administrative and technical support to Panchayats, Rajiv Gandhi Panchayat Sashaktikaran Abhyan also envisages a range of activities such as, Panchayat infrastructure support, capacity building and training of elected representatives (ERs) and other functionaries, upgradation of institutional structures that provide training and capacity building to PRIs, promotion of active gram sabhas, e-enablement of Panchayats, appropriate accounting procedures and accountability processes such as social audit etc.
The meeting was attended by Principal Secretary Planning and Development B R Sharma, Commissioner Secretary Rural Development Department Farooq Ahmad Peer and other senior officers.
Follow our WhatsApp channel