Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, Sept 25: While maintaining that the Government is committed to ensure overall and sustained development of the state, the Minister for Rural Development and Panchayati Raj, Ali Mohammad Sagar today said that the people should come forward and exhibit a participatory role in the day today governance and the development initiatives undertaken by the Government.
The Minister was interacting with scores of deputations during his tour of Zakura, Habak and Ganderbal areas. He was accompanied by District Development Commissioner, Ganderbal, Sarmad Hafeez, Additional District Development Commissioner, Srinagar and senior officers of various departments like PDD, R&B, PHE, Irrigation and SMC.
Mr. Sagar directed the officers to ensure that the lanes and drains of the area around Lal Bab Sahib Shrine, Zakoora and its catchment areas should be taken up on priority so that the people living there do not face any inconvenience. He said that the Government is committed to provide quality facilities to the people and in this regard several welfare schemes have been undertaken.
The Minister also directed the District Development Commissioner, Ganderbal to prepare a comprehensive project report, so that the community hall, health centre can be constructed at Pandach for the general convenience of the people living in the area. He also directed for speeding up the pace of work on the fountain being constructed in the Nagbal chowk at Ganderbal.
Mr. Sagar also asked the concerned officers to speed up the work on the renovation project of Syed Fazal Abad shrine being constructed at Pandach in the Ganderbal.
Earlier, the Minister also met a 9-member European Union delegation. During the meeting with the Minister, the delegation discussed various issues related to the rural development and the measures taken by the Government for ensuring the sustained development of the rural areas.
The Minister appraised the delegation about the various initiatives undertaken by the Government for ensuring socio-economic development of the rural areas and also the measures taken for ensuring the decentralization of the powers at the local level. He said that it was due to the efforts of the Government that the elections were held to the Panchayats and afterwards ensuring that the empowerment of these with the powers of 14-vital departments, which has accelerated the pace of development in the rural areas of the state.
Mr. Sagar also told the delegation that the proper capacity building of the Panchayati Raj representatives is also done so that they can understand the functioning of this vital institution of self-governance and contribute their bit in ensuring sustained and need based development of their respective areas. He said various flagship schemes like MGNREGA, IAY and other are also being implemented by the Panchayats, which ensures that the funds so meant for development are utilized to the maximum.
The Minister also maintained that the elections to the two other tiers of the Panchayati Raj System would be held very soon, so that all the three become fully functional which would further ensure the decentralization of the powers to the grass root level.
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