Badal for giving more teeth to Panchayats

Chandigarh, Apr 17 (UNI) Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal today issued instructions to the Rural Development and Panchayat Department to study the possibility of enlarging the scope of powers of panchayats including sarpanches.

The Chief Minister issued these instructions after receiving a representation from a delegation of sarpanches during 'Sangat Darshan' at his official residence here.

The Chief Minister issued these instructions after agreeing with sarpanches that due to limited financial powers of panchayats most of the development projects of villages get struck in red-tapism and are delayed.

Mr Badal has asked Rural Development and Panchayat Minister Ranjit Singh Brahampura to study the entire gamut of the problem in order to find a solution.

Addressing the sarpanchesd, he said that SAD-BJP government was committed to accelerate the process of de-centralisation of powers to Panchayats. The Panchayats Department should ensure that dignity and authority of the Sarpanches was maintained in the administrative system, he added.

UNI