April 23, 2014

Panchayat & Rural Development: Empowering our villages

Tanmay Mondal
IIM graduate, Batch of 2014


In the last two and half years of the All India Trinamool Congress led Ma, Mati, Manush Government in West Bengal, the grassroots bodies have been empowered through Panchayat and rural development. West Bengal has in fact been honoured with global awards for rural development and also secured the top rank among states in the implementation of 100-days job scheme.

Seven Gram Panchayats, two Panchayat Samitis and two Zila Parishads will receive these awards. The Union Ministry of Rural Development had assessed the work performed by all the Gram Panchayats during the financial year 2012-13. The sectors of assessment included administrative work, production and other measures.

Earlier in January the district of Bankura has received the District Award for Effective Initiatives under MGNREGA administration in the category of `Enhancing Livelihood through Convergence with MGNREGA` while Lego Gram Panchayat in Kotulpur Block, Bankura has received the award for being one of the 11 Best Performing Gram Panchayats. The Awards were received on February 2, 2014 on the occasion of the 9th MGNREGA Day by the Ministry of Rural Development, Government of India.


Strong measures for empowerment of women

After amendment of West Bengal Panchayat Act reservation of seats for women in each tier of Panchayat has been enhanced from one-third to half.

More empowerment of people belonging to other Backward Classes. So far the reservations were only for the representatives of women, members of Scheduled Castes and tribes.

This government has facilitated the participation of OBCs in the Panchayats through reservations.


Villagers build their own villages

A new milestone has been laid upon in 100-day work project.

Man-days which have been created during the last two- and-a-half years are greater than the sum total of man-days created through preceding years.

During the fiscal year 2012-13 man-days of 20 crore 18 lakh have been made

During 2012-13, this Government has stood first in terms of spending 107% of the allotted funds and, along with Job has been provided to 58 lakh of families, with an expenditure of rupees 4,688 crore.

West Bengal has created unparalleled precedence by making man-days out of 109% of Labour budget


The path itself is the Pathfinder

On 7 January, 2014 a unique and unparalleled initiative has been brought up for creating 16,000 k.m. length of road which can be utilized in whole seasons in each of the gram Panchayats. This particular effort will produce roughly 3 crore 50 lakh of man-days across the state.


Gram Sadak Yojana

On an average 1,069 k.m. of road has been constructed up to 2010-11 under the Gram Sadak Yojana, the road-length constructed during the tenure of this government becomes 1,978 km on average. Till January 2014 construction work of 255 roads, under the project of Gram Sadak Yojana, covering 1,016 km has been concluded, with an expenditure of rupees 558 crore.


Extension of Nirmal Bangla following proper sanitation

By the year 2017 'Sanitary Lavatories' will be made in all the houses with the objective of building up Nirmal Bangla. Work for lavatories, solid and liquid waste management in schools and Anganwadi centres is working along.


My Home, My Right

The construction work of houses for the rural poor families, with the assistance of IAY Scheme, is going on at a rapid pace. During the period of last two-and-a-half years more than 4.5 lakh of dwelling houses have been built. Help for building houses under Adhikar Prokalpo was provided to 25 thousand families in 11 territories.


Anandadhara Bahichhe Bhubane

More than 50 thousand Self-help Groups were constituted in last two years under the Anandadhara Scheme. The total amount of credit received by the self-help groups in last two and half years amounts to 1,232 crore.


New ray of hope to the destitute, old, widow and differently-able people

Allowance under the National Social Assistance Scheme is now much more easily available

10.68 lakh rural families are getting old-age pensions

7.39 lakh  rural women are getting widow pension

38 thousand differently able people are also getting an allowance

The sum of allowance for the widows and differently able people has been increased to rupees 600 per month

Age limit for old-age pension has been cut from 65 to 60