MARGAO: Director of Panchayat Ajit Panchwadkar indicated that the Goa Panchayat Raj Act is due to be amended as he announced many proposals to make the panchayat functioning more participatory involving the villagers, especially women and youth.
Speaking at the workshop organised to guide the Village Development Committees he said it is proposed to have Bal Gram Sabha and Mahila Gram Sabha regularly and mandatorily in the near future.
“These Bal Gram Sabha and Mahila Gram Sabha will not be controlled by the panchayat and will be presided over by one of the villagers present,” he said adding that the government is also considering reviving the Block Advisory Committee which will create panchayat conclaves of each taluka.
He also announced that very shortly engineers will be recruited to provide at least one engineer for the villages from each assembly constituency and said this will deal with the current problems panchayats are facing due to lack of engineers.
He said panchayats should take interest in the functioning of schools particularly government schools in their area and because this is not done, he said there is a clamour for admissions in private schools.
He also lamented that government facilities are abused and misused. “The government provides treated water at homes at a substantially subsidised rate but that water is used to wash vehicles,” he said.
Dr Seema Fernandes of Goa Institute of Public Administration and Rural Development appealed to the VDC members to prepare their plans and utilize funds under the 14th Finance Commission is yet to be collected by panchayats in Goa,” she said.
The Directorate of Panchayats has directed all panchayats in Goa to explain to the villagers the importance of Gram Panchayat Development Plan at the special gram sabha on October 2, as it will be 150 birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi.
The VDC would then start preparing the GPDP which would be presented to the villagers at the special gram sabha on December 19, 2018.
