Panchayati Raj ministry to hold workshop for creating socially-just, secured panchayats

New Delhi, Sep 6 (PTI) The Panchayati Raj ministry is set to organise a three-day national workshop in Patna from September 10 on creating socially-just and secured panchayats.

The workshop will focus on training Panchayati Raj representatives on ensuring inclusive development and social justice at the grassroots level.

According to a source, the three-day workshop on “Socially Just and Socially Secured Panchayats” will emphasise on localisation of the sustainable development goals (SDGs).

The workshop will be held in Patna, Bihar from September 10 to September 12.

The workshop will aim at fostering inclusive development and ensuring social justice at the grassroots level.

The source said the workshop will bring together distinguished participants, including elected representatives from Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs), government officials, experts and other key stakeholders.

“The vision of the workshop is that every person in a village must feel cared for and all eligible persons should be covered by social-security systems,” the source said.

This includes ensuring food security, health, education, sanitation, employment, infrastructure development and safety for all.

The goals include improving the living standards of the BPL (below poverty line) households, ensuring implementation of the government’s social-security schemes, enrolment of women and children under the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS), providing productive employment, and reducing inequalities and all forms of discrimination.

The gram panchayats’ role in facilitating registration for the Public Distribution System (PDS), developing the criteria for the identification of the poor, destitute and vulnerable, promoting information about various schemes for poor and vulnerable groups as well as monitoring the services will also be taken up at the workshop.

Strengthening gram sabhas to ensure responsive, inclusive and participatory representation, timely access of services to citizens, the safety of women and girls and planning rehabilitation for differently-abled persons will also be on the agenda of the workshop to ensure socially-just villages, the source said.

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, Panchayati Raj Minister Rajiv Ranjan Singh, Minister of State S P Singh Baghel and Samrat Choudhary will be among the dignitaries who will attend the inaugural session of the workshop, the source added.