NGOs play crucial role in implementation of rural dev, prog

New Delhi, July 31 (UNI) Minister for Rural Development Raghuvansh Prasad Singh today urged NGOs to help create mass awareness in rural areas for better implementation of development schemes across the country.

Inaugurating the NGOs meet organised by CAPART (Council for Advancement of People's Action and Rural Technology) on Gramin Vikas Andolan and Nirmal Gram Abhiyan here, Dr Singh said there is lack of awareness among the masses in respect of various employment generation and infrastructure development schemes and this hinders effective implementation of development schemes.

It is only the awareness and proper understanding of schemes, people's participation and observance of transparency at the ground level that can change the present scenario in rural areas, he added.

He hoped that the NGOs working under CAPART-run campaigns, Gramin Vikas Andolan and Nirmal Gram Abhiyan, would play a key role in the successful implementation of programmes on sanitation and water conservation and its management so as to improve the delivery mechanism and bring in more transparency and awareness in rural areas.

Ms Santha Sheila Nair, Secretary, Department of Drinking Water Supply in the ministry emphasized the need of maintaining water sustainability and tackling the issue of slipped back habitations.

She said her department is promoting the use of low cost technologies in rural areas for better results.

Director General, CAPART V Rao, welcomed the participants and said CAPART is to act as facilitator of implementation of rural development schemes at the Panchayat level through its network of NGOs.

The one- day NGOs meet on Gramin Vikas Andolan and Nirmal Gram Abhiyan is being attended by 165 NGOs from all over the country.

Gramin Vikas Andolan is a campaign to create awareness in the rural areas about water conservation, sanitation and other programmes of the Ministry of Rural Development. It is under progress in 141 blocks across all States of the country.

Nirmal Gram Abhiyan is a programme to sensitise the rural masses about the objectives of Total Sanitation Campaign. The programme is under implementation in 139 blocks of eight States viz, Chhattisgarh, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Rajasthan and Bihar.

CAPART is funding, monitoring and implementing the campaign with cooperation from Ministry of Rural Development, NGOs and other stake holders.

UNI