the goan I network
MARGAO
Director of Panchayats Ajit Panchwadkar on Sunday called upon all the stakeholders at the panchayat level to join hands and prepare the road map for the development of the villages by participating in the planning process.
The Panchayat Director further made a plea to the panchayats to lay stress on spreading awareness and bring about improving the standard of education, health and road safety in the villages instead of spending all the money on drains, nullahs and roads.
He was speaking at the Loutolim village panchayat hall after unveiling the 1st Participatory Gram Panchayat Development Plan (GPDP) on Sunday in the presence of Sarpanch Inacinho Fernandes, Village Development Committee convenor Ramiro Mascarenhas, Salcete BDOs Amitesh Shirvoikar and Milindra Velip, panchayat members, VDC members and citizens.
“I believe that proper planning of the village can take place only after all the people, including professionals and the common man, take part in the participatory planning and prepare the road map for the village development,” he said.
Panchwadkar complimented the Loutolim panchayat and the VDC members for finalising the plan, saying that many panchayat bodies across the State had completed the task of putting the GPDP in place.
“Stress should be laid on education, health, road safety while finalising the GPDP instead of the drains, maintenance of nullahs, etc,”
he added.
In his address, Sarpanch Inacinho Fernandes thanked the VDC members and all the people of the village, including VDC convenor Ramiro Mascarenhas, Xavier Fernandes, Joaquim Gracias and others, who had participated in the participatory gram panchayat development plan. Sarpanch said the panchayat would start executing the project mentioned in the GPDP one by one after getting the necessary approvals.
Around 84 projects have found mention in the Loutolim participatory gram panchayat development plan and the panchayat would take up the projects as per the ceiling of the projects and the laid down procedure.
