Itanagar: Arunachal Pradesh Panchayati Raj and Rural Development Minister Bamang Felix has appealed to the Zilla Parishad Chairpersons and Project Director-cum-District Panchayat Development Officers of all 25 districts to move beyond their normal duties and take the onus of transforming rural Arunachal into a self-reliable one.
The Minister made this appeal during the ‘two-day state level coordination cum review meeting of all 25 districts’ that concluded at the DK Convention Centre here on Wednesday.
During the two-day meet, chaired by Minister Felix, the performance report on various central flagship programmes such as Rashtriya Gram Swaraj Abhiyan (RGSA), Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM), Early Childhood Care and Education, progress of developmental activities under 14th and 15th Finance Commission, status of financial grants under the State Own Revenue (SOR) to the State’s Panchayati Raj institutions, etc were reviewed and discussed.
In his remark, the Minister appreciated the ZPCs and PD-cum-DPDOs for “diligently executing their responsibilities despite challenges” but observed that “few need to rigorously pursue their undertakings to catch up with the rest of counterparts”.
He also noted that further capacity building training, especially in financial and technical aspects, needs to be imparted to the ZPCs and PD-cum-DPDOs which will assist them in executing their works more efficiently.
The Minister directed the officers concerned of the Panchayati Raj Department of district level to ensure that transfer of allocated funds under State Own Revenue (SOR) to the Gram Panchayats be completed by January 26. Further, performance grants under SOR shall be released to the performing districts purely based on their performance in the basic grants already released, he said.
Lauding the achievements of the Arunachal State Rural Livelihoods Mission (ArSRLM) in rural areas, especially the progress made in making rural womenfolk self-reliant through SHGs, Felix advised the ZPCs and PD-cum-DPDOs to extend all possible help to the ArSRLM coordinators.
Expressing confidence that all challenges can be overcome with proper coordination among all stakeholders including the line departments in a team-Arunachal spirit, the Minister exhorted all to keep reminding themselves that the welfare of entire rural Arunachal depends on their performances.
Secretary (PR and RD) Amarnath Talwade appreciated the improvement shown by the districts in recent months and exhorted all to keep up the dedication to work for the welfare of rural masses.
He noted that Arunachal Pradesh is experiencing three crucial revolutions viz., democratisation of grassroots level stakeholders, adoption of technology in ensuring transparency such as PFMS, Geo-tagging, DBT, e-Gram portal, and empowerment of rural womenfolk.
Stating that these revolutions are the beginning of a new chapter in the transformation of Arunachal Pradesh, the Secretary hoped that this two-day event will be a catalyst in ushering stakeholders to work with more vigor and dedication.
Among others, Advisor to Minister (RD and PR) Gum Tayeng was also present.
