TEAM HERALD
PANJIM: The Rs one crore for infrastructure scheme for each panchayat announced by the state government will need to be put before gram sabhas and in general be the consensus project for the village before they can be implemented.
Director of Panchayats, Narayan Sawant, said that it was the intention of the directorate of panchayats to bring in the best infrastructure in villages through the scheme.
“While the focus would be on building infrastructure, the proposals should come from the panchayats. They should also place before the gram sabha on what they are going to spend the money,” Sawant told Herald even as he added that more details will be available once the scheme is notified by the department.
The government earlier this week, took a cabinet decision to grant Rs one crore to each panchayat as part of its push towards rural infrastructure in the state.
The focus in the initial stages as indicated by Panchayat Minister Laxmikant Parsekar was to help panchayats function from proper premises. Many panchayats are functioning in either rented or in dilapidated premises.
It is no doubt that ultimately the scheme will be used for other infrastructure projects like beautification, etc.
When questioned about possible misuse of the funds by the panchayats, Sawant said that the question of quality would be regulated by the Goa State Infrastructure Development Corporation or any other agency that would be appointed to do the work.
“Transparency will be the hallmark of the scheme. Gram sabhas will have to be taken into confidence, the work projects and their reports will have to be drawn up in consultation with the GSIDC or any other agency appointed by the directorate of panchayats, all these safeguards are there,” Sawant said.
On Wednesday after a cabinet meeting, Minister of Panchayats Laxmikant Parsekar announced the Dhindayala Panchayati Raj Scheme to disburse a one-time amount to panchayats for developing infrastructure.
Panchayats functioning from rented spaces and dilapidated panchayat ghors will be considered for the scheme while those having better infrastructure can submit proposals for creating new infrastructure for the village.
