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SAMBA: Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Monday expressed firm resolve to make Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) more powerful, efficient and effective in the Union Territory.
Sinha was addressing a function organised to celebrate National Panchayati Raj Day at Palli, a nondescript hamlet in border district of Samba which on April 24 last year became the country’s first ‘carbon-neutral panchayat’ with Prime Minister Narendra Modi dedicating to the nation a 500-kilowatt solar plant.
The Lt Governor also conferred UT-level Panchayat awards to the awardees, launched ‘Mera Samba’ Swachhta app for community participation and inaugurated 18 ‘smartpurs’ for Samba and six for Anantnag on the occasion.
“Collective efforts of the common man and panchayats are playing an important role in realising big dreams of small villages of the Union Territory. By establishing and strengthening three-tier grassroots democracy in J&K, PM Modi has ensured rapid and inclusive development,” Sinha said.
“It is our firm resolve to make PRIs more powerful, efficient and effective,” the Lt Governor said.
He urged all public representatives to give priority to the underprivileged to realise Mahatma Gandhi’s dream of ‘Poorna Swaraj’ through Gram Swaraj.
“Our efforts should also focus on removing developmental imbalances,” he added.
Sinha said, “Rural growth is the main pillar of the country’s development and to achieve our objectives, gram panchayats will have to play a major role in economic empowerment of all citizens, ensuring that benefits reach the last mile and active participation in grassroots planning and execution.” As powerful agents of socio-economic change and engines of rural development, he said, the panchayats are making a significant contribution to nation-building and empowering people to meet the challenge of sustainable development.
