Tomar promises to strengthen PRIs

From Our Correspondent

Itagar, Nov 9: Union Panchayati Raj Minister rendra Singh Tomar has assured to strengthen three-tier Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) in Aruchal Pradesh. Tomar’s assurances came when a delegation of All Aruchal Pradesh Panchayati Parishad (AAPPP) led by its Secretary General Sangha Tagik called on him at New Delhi yesterday and apprised about the dismal affairs of PRIs in the State. Tomar was shocked to known that though district planning committee (DPC) was constituted on December 4, 2006, to decentralise planning in all districts but presently they are headed by Deputy Commissioners, instead of Zilla Parishad chairpersons. He immediately asked the panchayat secretary Jitendra Shankar Mathur to take up the issue with the State government to transfer the DPC chairmanship to Zilla Parishad chairperson forthwith as it had violated Article 243ZD of Constitution of India, an official release informed here today.

Tagik, in a memorandum, on behalf of state’s 9,372 elected PRI leaders, urged the union minister to sanction Rs 200 crore for setting up of a tribal skill development & capacity building centre to skill the indigenous tribal people of the State to tap the vast tural resources to join tion building mission.

The memorandum was signed by ZPCs including Tagik  from Kurung Kumey district, Jowkhong Singpho (Changlang), Santung Lowang Yagsia (Tirap) and Yaman Bagra (West Siang).

Stressing on the need for close cooperation between the Army and security forces with civilians as the State shares borders with three countries, the ZPCs requested the minister to move the home and defence ministries for creating provision to exclusively recruit locals in group ‘C’ and ‘D’ posts who would benefit from employment but serve as the bedrock of the Army and security forces. They drew his attention that the PRIs functiories face acute shortage of accommodation when they visit state capital and district headquarters as the State government had announced on September 2 last Rs 150 crore and Rs 145 crore for State panchayat niwas and district panchayat bhawans respectively to accommodate only 20 persons but the projects still in cold storage need to be expedited.

Moreover, the 14th Fince Commission grants are directly released to the gram panchayats while other two tiers are sitting idle, though the masses have huge expectations from them, they added in the memorandum. “Fund should be provided to backward blocks and district of NE states to take the idle two tiers at par with other states of India. Moreover, the DPC chairmanship vested with the deputy commissioners was solely responsible for haphazard district planning which should be streamlined immediately, the memorandum added.

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