Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Apr 14: Stressing the need to strengthen Gram Sabhas, All India Panchayat Parishad (AIPP) has demanded that all the functional departments must be brought under the control of the Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs).
Addressing a joint press conference here today, National president of AIPP Ashok Singh Jadoun and chief general secretary, Sheetla Shanker Vijai Mishra said that there is strong need to strengthen the Panchayati Raj Institutions in the country and the JKUT. For this, there is urgent need to bring all the 29 departments and maximum services under the control of the elected PRI representatives.
“It has been noticed with great concern that the basic spirit behind the 73rd Amendment, more or less, been largely ignored by the State Governments across India. The need has been felt to redress the genuine problems/ grievances of the elected representatives of the PRIs to make modern Smart Villages. The people prefer Gram Sabhas to Vidhan Sabhas,” they added.
Jadoun claimed that duly empowered Panchayati Raj Institutions have the potential to strengthen the morale of the country and also raise moral standards in public life. There is need to increase their area of activity and responsibility.
“Panchayati Raj Gram Sashaktikaran Abhiyan-Chalo Gaon Ki Aur,’ shall prove a turning point in strengthening PRIs, with due empowerment in J&K and elsewhere in India,” Kuldip Sharma Ex-Sarpanch and acting president JKPP and Convenor Gram Sashaktikaran Abhiyan in J&K said.
They pointed out that present system of funding the Panchayats through tied grants defeats the basic principle of Financial autonomy and breeds the seeds of dependency. They said there is need of giving top priority in transfer of 29 departments under 73rd Amendment. Moreover, genuine issues of Panchayat Malis/ Guards be settled without any more delay besides providing proper security to the PRI members in J&K.
Other senior members- JK Gupta, Samriti Singh, Mohinder Kumar, Gopal Sharma and Devinder Sharma also accompanied during conference.
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