Shillong: Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla Friday inaugurated the Outreach and Familiarization Programme for local bodies of the State of Meghalaya and other North Eastern States organized by Parliamentary Research and Training Institute for Democracies (PRIDE), Lok Sabha Secretariat at the State Convention Centre, Pinewood Hotel, Shillong.
The inaugural programme was also attended by Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma, Minister of State, Ministry of Food Processing Industries Rameshwar Teli, Meghalaya Legislative Assembly Speaker Metbah Lyngdoh, Minister for District Council Affairs Department, Government of Meghalaya, Lahkmen Rymbui and Members of Parliament, Autonomous District Councils, Panchayati Raj, Zila Parishad from different North Eastern States.
It may be mentioned that the outreach and familiarization programme for grassroot level institution which was initiated by the Speaker of Lok Sabha focuses on enhancing participatory democracy through a greater awareness of the procedures and processes followed by democratic institutions functioning at various levels right from the grassroots to the apex level.
The programme is intended to strengthen the institutions of governance and planning at the grass-root level since maximizing self-governance is critical to empowering people. Apart from Panchayati Raj System, there is a need for mobilizing and strengthening Traditional Grass Root level Institutions as present in the Fifth and Sixth Schedule States
