NEW DELHI, July 6 (PTI): Nearly five years after the government launched a scheme to develop well-performing panchayats as learning centres, the Panchayati Raj Ministry (MoPR) has written to states that lack of proper guidelines has made their function slow and at times ineffective.
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The Centre has issued directions to the states to follow the standard operating procedures prepared to help strengthen the Panchayat Learning Centres (PLCs).
Joint Secretary in the Panchayati Raj Ministry Vikas Anand has written to the corresponding departments in states urging “personal intervention” by senior officials to ensure that the PLCs are functional.
More model panchayats should be identified to create new PLCs and a short write-up on the activities taken up by them should be shared, the official said in the letter.
“From 2018-19 to 2022-23, under the RGSA scheme, MoPR has approved 669 GPs to function as PLC. However, lack of proper guidelines and related issues make their function slow and sometimes non-effective. Undoubtedly there is a need to strengthen the PLCs with clear mandate,” the letter said.
Under the Rashtriya Gram Swaraj Abhiyan (RGSA), well-governed panchayats have been identified as ‘beacon’ panchayats. These are panchayats which might have received one or more awards from governments, or have achieved substantial progress towards economic development and social justice for its people, or have implemented innovative and economic development projects, and are willing to facilitate the process of learning of other panchayats in the neighbouring area.
Since 2018-19, altogether 669 PLCs have been identified in different states and Union territories. Under the revamped RGSA, there is a provision of Rs 7 lakhs for setting up a PLC.
Under the programme, well-governed ‘beacon’ gram panchayats can become a training ground and act as a PLC for the elected representatives and functionaries of gram panchayats in the neighbouring areas that are lagging behind on certain parameters.
The PLCs can provide immersion training for 4-5 days on Panchayat Governance, preparation of development plan, mainstreaming of Localised Sustainable Development Goals, etc., with officials physically participating in the day-to-day activities of the training.
