the goan I network
MARGAO
The Goa Institute of Public Administration and Rural Development (GIPARD)’s three-day training programme on participatory planning for the preparation of Gram Panchayat Development Plan (GPDP) for the panchayat stakeholders got underway at the South district Collectorate on Monday.
Salcete elected panchayat representatives confronted the GIPARD resource person with a simple question as they sought to know the status of the GPDPs prepared in the past when its implementation had hit a block at the level of the Block Development Officers.
In fact, the common refrain amongst elected panchayat representatives was that while panchayats were quick to prepare GPDPs last time round, many could not see light of day on account of delays in preparing estimates at BDO level.
When the GIPARD resource person said team work is the essence in the preparation of the GPDP and the implementation of the plans, convenor of Panchayat Raj institutions, J Santan Rodrigues sought to know whether there’s any accountability set by the authorities in the BDO, JEs attached to the BDO office, and the panchayat secretaries in implementing the GPDPs.
Again when the resource person pointed out that the GPDPs will cover as many as 29 subjects defined in XIth Schedule this time round, Rodrigues maintained that the panchayat authorities had let the panchayat down when the GPDPs had covered only four subjects last time round.
With many village panchayats unable to utilize the funds under the 14th Finance Commission due to a host of reasons, including delay in clearing the estimates at the BDO level, the GIPARD resource warned that these funds will go back if not utilized by the panchayats.
“The Panchayat ward members are also responsible to get the plans implemented. A ward member is expected to know the requirements of his ward,” the resource person added.
With many a project mooted in the last GPDP remaining unimplemented by the panchayats for a host of reasons, the panchayat representatives questioned the resource person on how they are supposed to explain to the people back home when they question them over the last GPDP.
The training program started with the resource person explaining the features of the process with a caution that the panchayats will miss the advantage if they don’t put the GPDPs in place.
