Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, Apr 8: Secretary Rural Development Department (RDD) and Panchayati Raj, Dr Shahid Iqbal Choudhary, on Monday chaired a meeting to review plan for enhancing the capacities and training of Self-Help Group (SHG) members as Village Resource Persons (VRPs) for conducting Social Audits as part of Capacity Building Programme under Rashtriya Gram Swaraj Abhiyan (RGSA) for effective implementation of various Centrally Sponsored Schemes.
The department aims to have a trained workforce at Block and Gram Panchayat level for conduct of Social Audit envisaged in various Centrally Sponsored Schemes, especially MGNREGA AND PMAY-G.
Dr Shahid emphasized the twin objectives behind onboarding the National Rural Livelihoods Mission (NRLM) for training VRPs. Firstly, to address the shortage of manpower at block and gram panchayat level for the social audit unit, and secondly, to empower the NRLM Self Help Groups with diverse resources and capacity building. He also underscored the training of SHGs in other related roles through the Panchayats Department for their active participation in rural development.
The department proposes creation of a robust resource pool comprising Village Resource Persons (VRPs) drawn from SHGs from across all the districts, and training of SHG members to cover all Panchayats as well.
Furthermore, he sought feedback from NRLM, Social Audit Directorate, and field officials to understand the reasons behind low participation of trained VRPs and to devise strategies for greater involvement.
He also called for development of a block-wise calendar to ensure comprehensive VRP training coverage within the next 2-3 months and stressed the importance of certifying trained VRPs and ensuring their active participation in Social Audits through NRLM’s SHGs.
Dr Shahid highlighted the need for modification of the training calendar to accommodate the 5-day training program, emphasizing a focus on capacity building within NRLM self-help groups.
Mission Director, JKRLM, Indu Kanwal Chib, made a detailed presentation about the potential of involving SHGs, devising reporting mechanisms and expanding the assignment roles covering various aspects.
Indu Kanwal further outlined plans to leverage existing social action committees within gram panchayats and proposed utilizing skilled individuals aged 18 to 35 for training purposes.
She also highlighted the importance of allowing participants to engage in audits across different blocks to maximize their involvement and impact.
Director Social Audit, Shafia Naqshbandi, made a detailed presentation about the manpower requirement in district and block level units for effective social audit. She also discussed the details about course curriculum, modules and strategy for training of SHGs.
Officials were directed to draft a comprehensive plan in consultation with NRLM, the Social Audit Directorate, and the Panchayati Raj Department, considering factors like training quality, ensuring active engagement of VRPs, and addressing systemic issues.
Tariq Ahmad Zargar, Secretary in RDD, Director Panchayati Raj, Sham Lal, Additional Secretary RDD, Waseem Raja, Deputy Secretary RDD, Sheetal Pandita and other concerned officers were present in the meeting.
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