States Watch

Rajasthan

More Power For Panchayats : Gehlot

JAIPUR : In order to improve the quality of life and speed up development in rural areas, the Rajasthan Government has taken wide-ranging decisions to strengthen the Panchayati Raj institutions by devolving more powers, improving education and healthcare facilities and widening the scope of social security through a fresh BPL survey.

"The detailed orders for transferring the subjects with funds, function and functionaries to panchayats would be taken within a week," Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot said here on June 9.

Briefing reporters after the two-day marathon sitting "Chintan Shivir" of the state cabinet, the fifth in as many years, that concluded on June 9, the Chief Minister said the three-tier panchayat bodies were being granted more powers in tune with the recommendations of the cabinet sub-committee and the views expressed by the legislators at the special two-day assembly session last year.

The cabinet decided to give top priority for completing fresh survey to identify BPL (below poverty line) families within three months and to ensure that only genuine people were covered under the poverty alleviation programmes, Shri Gehlot said. Social security schemes were being made more effective by issuing fresh guidelines and all pending social security pension cases of widows, handicapped and aged would be settled soon, he said.

For launching a library movement in the desert state, public libraries and reading rooms, named after Mahatma Gandhi, would be set up in all 9,189 gram panchayats in two phases. "In the first phase starting July 1, 4,000 such libraries would be set up," Shri Gehlot said. It was decided to appoint "Saathin" (women social workers) in all 9,189 gram panchayats. At present 500 Saathins are functioning in the state, Shri Gehlot said. One Motivator would also be posted in each panchayat to monitor the functioning of the Saathin programme.

With about 90,000 self-help groups (SHG), covering 7.5 lakh women, already operating in the state, it was decided to further strengthen the movement by making efforts to meet their financial requirements through tie-up with banks.

All vacancies of doctors and teachers in rural areas would be filled up on priority within three months, he said.

A review committee, headed by the Chief Secretary, would be set up to gear up the programmes aimed for the welfare of the minorities, the Chief Minister said.

As part of the regularization of slums, Shri Gehlot said, land titles "patta" had already been issued to 51,000 out of the total 75,000 families found eligible. The remaining would be granted "pattas" by August 15 this year. Those families settled in such colonies not found suitable for regularization would also be given certificates to facilitate their resettlement on some alternate site in future, he said.

The government also decided to exempt slum dwellers from payment of lease rent on land allotted to them on a token amount of Rs. 5 only, the Chief Minister said. This was being done keeping in view the poor financial position of the slum dwellers.

The Rajasthan government had decided to fill up the backlog of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes through promotions and direct recruitment within two years, the Chief Minister said.

The government was committed for filling up the backlog and 562 meetings of the Departmental Promotion Committees (DPC) had been held recently promoting 8,781 employees in 67 departments.

Rajasthan had provided job opportunities to many and vacancies were being filled up. It was decided to fill up all vacancies of teachers and doctors in rural areas within three months, he added.

Letter to PM

Meanwhile, Shri Gehlot addressed a letter to the Prime Minister demanding immediate release of the Centre’s allocation to the State under the Sampoorna Gramin Rozgar Yojana (SGRY) for 2003-04 in a single instalment, saying the Centre’s failure to release the money had led to non-payment of wages to the labourers employed under the scheme.

The allocation of money and foodgrain under SGRY for 2003-04 should be double than those allocated last year, as per the recent directions of the Supreme Court in the case of People’s Union for Civil Liberties vs. Union of India, Shri Gehlot pointed out. The Central Government has so far not complied with the apex court’s directive.