Undertake intensive training for elected Panchayat members: Aiyar

Itanagar, Jul 07 (UNI) Union Panchayati Raj Minister Mani Shankar Aiyar has stressed on the need for undertaking intensive training for all elected Panchayat leaders so that they could be familiarised with their roles and responsibilities.

In a message, which was read out at the first state-level meeting of Rajiv Gandhi Panchayati Raj Sangathan (RGPRS) here today, Mr Aiyar, also the DoNER Minister, appealed to the state government as well as the state unit of RGPRS to undertake such trainings at all levels.

''The Panchayati Raj Ministry has been working in close association with the Arunachal Pradesh government on Activity Mapping to give each elected member of the Panchayats a clear idea of the duties that have been devolved to them,'' the minister said, adding that full and complete familiarisation with these Activity Maps was the foremost requirement of the elected Panchayat leaders.

Mr Aiyar, in his message, further stated that the Centre had been impressing upon the state government the need to ensure simultaneous devolution of finances and functions to enable the elected Panchayats to fulfill the functions expected of them.

''I am hoping that within the next few weeks this process would be completed and the Panchayats in Arunachal will receive adequate funds to accomplish their public duties,'' the minister said.

He said the devolution of functions and finances needed to be accompanied by effective devolution of functionaries. Unless and until officers and officials of the state government line departments were brought within the supervisory and disciplinary control of the elected Panchayats, the latter would not be able to effectively discharge their functions, he added.

''We have also successfully launched the Panchayat Mahila Shakti Abhiyan and the Panchayat Yuva Shakti Abhiyan in Arunachal. I hope that full use would be made of both these abhiyans to strengthen Panchayats in the state.

''Moreover, effective participation of the elected members in the administration of people-oriented poverty eradication, rural development and rural welfare schemes, including the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA) in the implementation of which we have ensured the centrality of the Panchayats,'' he said.

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