Panchayat Yuva Shakti Abhiyan launched

Hyderabad, Jan 28 (UNI) Panchayat Yuva Shakti Abhiyan, a movement of young people in development and democracy at the grassroots level, was launched here today under the Nehru Yuva Kendra Sangathan.

Presiding over the function, Nehru Yuva Kendra Director General Shakeel Ahmed Khan said this campaign, launched jointly by the Union Ministries of Youth Affairs and Panchayatiraj, not only provided development opportunities for the youth at the grassroots level, who constituted 40 per cent of the country's population, through their participation in the panchayats, but also gave panchayats an opportunity to make best use of youth potential for an efficient and successful panchayati raj system.

The thrust area of the movement was to create awareness on the benefits of vocational training programmes, combating drug abuse and HIV/AIDS, promotion of village tourism and handicrafts, empowerment of women, and creating awareness on curbing female foeticide, he said.

State Panchayatraj Minister J C Diwakar Reddy, in his address, urged the youngsters to unearth irregularities in the implementation of welfare schemes and development programmes at the grassroots level and ensure that all eligible persons got the benefits under INDIRAMMA and other schemes.

The State Government would provide Rs 288 crore to Panchayatiraj institutions this year, he added.

UNI SM VA GD ADB MIR ND1742