Plan foolproof schemes, boost PRIs: Speaker

ITAGAR, Jan 29: Aruchal Pradesh Assembly Speaker T N Thongdok on Monday called upon the Panchayat leaders to strengthen the Panchayati Raj institutions (PRIs) in the state by meticulously planning holistic and realistic development schemes.

Addressing the two-day State-level ‘Panchayat sammelan’ for chairpersons and PRIs functiories, the speaker asked the Panchayat leaders to work in close coordition with other departments in order to hasten development in rural areas.

He further exhorted the PRI leaders to be responsible stakeholders and work tirelessly for progress and prosperity of the rural populace adding that proper and effective monitoring of the schemes being implemented in the villages was of paramount importance.

The ‘sanmelan’ is being sponsored by the Union Ministry of Panchayat Raj.

While appreciating the rural development and Panchayati raj departments for organizing the ‘sammelan’ in such a befitting manner, Thongdok said that the brainstorming and thought-provoking semir would go a long way to enlighten the PRI leaders on various facets of Panchayati Raj system.

Throwing light on the growth of PRIs in the country, Thongdok fondly recalled and shared his experiences of participating in village-level meetings and development programmes in the district during the erstwhile NEFA days.

Parliamentary Secretary for RD & PR Mama tung while underscoring the importance of the sammelan said that RD and PR were the mother departments not only in Aruchal Pradesh but all over the country because they dealt with the basic and essential needs of the rural people and appealed the PRI leaders to be role models and torch-bearers to lead the villagers in all spheres.

Emphasizing on the importance of addressing the problems of the rural people, tung said that most of the leaders in the state were born and brought up in the villages and called upon the PRI leaders to work selflessly for the uplift of the villagers.

He reiterated that the State Government was committed to help and assist the Panchayat bodies by providing funds on time adding that the villagers themselves will have to develop their villages without expecting outsiders to come and do the job.

tung told the participants that they were competent enough to compete against the best Panchayats in the country because they had the required caliber and wherewithal. He, however, opined that the PRI leaders would have to change their mindset adding that the PRI leaders were the key to development.