NGOs, CVOs must work with Panchayat bodies: Aiyer

New Delhi, Jan 18 (UNI) The Empowered Sub-Committee of the National Development Council on Panchayati Raj institutions (PRIs) today called for harmonising the functioning of citizens' voluntary organisations (CVOs) and NGOs with panchayat bodies to ensure optimum implementation of Centrally-Sponsored Schemes (CSS).

''There should be an organic link between NGOs and civic bodies, so that the NGOs do not become parallel bodies, in central schemes operating in panchayati raj and non-panchayati raj areas,'' said Union Panchayati Raj Minister Mani Shanker Aiyar, briefing reporters after a meeting of the Committee.

He said the Committee had a caveat on the suggestion of the Vishwanathan-Datta Ghosh working group for abolishing NGOs and CVOs associated with panchayati raj bodies and emphasised on their harmonious functioning.

The Committee also called for modification of the guidelines of centrally sponsored schemes to provide centrality to elected rural local bodies.

He said the PRIs should be the central element in awareness building campaigns for CSSs and their staff be treated as the nodal agencies for building and updating databases.

The Committee reviewed the action taken by State Governments on activity mapping and asked them to submit fresh statement of activity mapping before its next meeting.

Today's meeting also assessed the progress of Panchayati Raj bodies in various aspects -- in financial domain, capacity to raise own resources, administrative control and assessment of training requirements.

It also assessed the action taken by states on constitution of district planning committees and found that states including Gujarat, Maharashtra, Punjab, Jharkhand, UP, and Uttarakhand had not formed these committees.

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