Team Herald
MARGAO: Rural Development Agency Minister of Goa Alina Saldanha has claimed that she has no knowledge on any promise made to the Zilla Parishad of allowing them to execute some of the works in rural areas.
Briefing the media on the status of promise made by the former RDA Minister Rajendra Arlekar to ZPs, she said, “I am not aware of the promise made to ZP, nor am I aware of anything happened in this connection at the RDA.”
Meanwhile, Arlekar said some works are being executed by ZP in rural areas and that he was following it up.
Arlekar is on record saying that he was in favour of giving more powers to ZPs and was working out a way to give some of the rural departments like RDA, primary health centre, primary education and anganwadis to Zilla Panchayats.
However, Arlekar now says, “The operations of RDA can’t be handed over to ZP as it is the nodal agency for distribution of several central schemes.”
He also told that he had appointed an official for the follow up of this work but the process has been slow.
When asked what steps have been taken to fulfill the promise of giving a designated infrastructure for self help groups, made by the chief minister at SARAS in January, Alina said, “The Cabinet has taken a decision specifically reserving places for self help groups in government infrastructure and the order has been issued to all the departments.”
