Implementation of Panchayati Raj Act ''slow : Aiyar

Shimla, May 29 (UNI) Panchayati Raj Minister Mani Shankar Aiyar today admitted that the implementation of Panchayati Raj Act was ''slow'' in several states and attributed it to the political reality of the state.

West Bengal, Kerala and Karnataka had done very well in the devolution of financial and administrative powers to the Panchayati Raj Institutions and the performance of the hill state of Sikkim was also commendable, he said, while addressing a press conference, here.

Mr Aiyar and Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh also signed a Memorandum of Understanding on the basis of consensus arrived at between them.

The Minister said strengthening Panchayati Raj System was a mission for him and he wanted that all the states took effective steps to empower these institutions PRIs and so that not the government prepared the plan and implemented the same.

Three elections to the PRIs had been held in Himachal Pradesh after the relevant Act was passed by the Parliament, but not much had been done to empower these grassroot bodies, he said.

MORE UNI AS HS HS RK2156