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The Ministry of Panchayati Raj will be preparing the draft action plan early next year for enabling the Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) emerge as institutions of local self-government, which will be submitted for consideration of states and union territories. The Ministry has completed five of the scheduled seven round table conferences to formulate the draft action plan for strengthening of PRIs so far. A National Presentation was also organized by the ministry on rural business hubs ‘economic empowerment through Panchayats’ in collaboration with Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) where presentations on agriculture, horticulture, poultry, bamboo products and process, khadi and village industries, handicrafts, rural fashion, power production through biomass etc. were demonstrated to an audience of elected representatives of Panchayats. This was stated here today by Shri Mani Shankar Aiyar, Minister of Panchayati Raj, Petroleum & Natural Gas while addressing a meeting of Members of Consultative Committee attached to the Ministry of Panchayati Raj.
Shri Aiyar informed the members that action plans from 22 state governments for providing training to elected and official functionaries of PRIs have been approved by the ministry and the state governments are encouraged to use available infrastructure and networking with NGOs and other institutions for training. As far as devolution of functions, functionaries and funds to Panchayats are concerned, the Minister observed that most of the states have made considerable progress in devolving several responsibilities to PRIs without transferring the requisite staff and funds which are essential to carry out the functions entrusted to them. The Panchayats should be granted appropriate powers to generate their own resources for making them self-reliant, he added.
The Minister also informed the members that a proposal has been mooted for the implementation of about 300 centrally sponsored schemes of the Government through PRIs and a task force comprising state secretaries has been constituted for working out the modalities for the same. The Minister welcomed suggestions from the Members on strengthening of Panchyati Raj Institutions with the conduct of Panchayat elections whenever it is due. All the states/UTs except Jharkhand, NCT Delhi and Pondicherry have held Panchayat elections according to Constitution (73rd Amendment), Act, 1992.
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