PANAJI
A 2013 scheme to assist village panchayats in executing infrastructure projects in the villages has been validated for another five years until March 31, 2027, a notification issued by Panchayats Director Siddhi T Halarnakar said.
The scheme, Deendayal Panchayat Raj Infrastructure Development (Golden Jubilee) Scheme, 2013, was introduced by then Chief Minister, late Manohar Parrikar in 2012 to celebrate the golden jubilee year of panchayati raj institutions coming into existence in Goa. In 2017, Parrikar who returned as Chief Minister again, had extended its validity for five years until this year.
It aims to upgrade infrastructure in rural Goa and projects proposed by panchayats will be scrutinized for suitability and viability by a committee head by the Panchayat Minister.
Besides the minister, the other members of the scrutiny and sanctioning committee will include: Secretary (Finance), Secretary (Panchayati Raj), Director (Rural Development), CEO of the Zilla Panchayat of North and South, Executive Engineer of the Technical Cell and Director of Panchayats as member-secretary.
The task of identifying the infrastructure projects will be the domain of the panchayats and a formal resolution will have to be adopted by them to forward the proposal for clearance by the Scrutiny and Sanctioning Committee headed by the minister.
The panchayat secretary is tasked with the responsibility of preparing and submitting the proposal to the Director of Panchayats through the BDO. If land is required to be acquired for the project, a separate land acquisition proposal will also have to be simultaneously submitted by the panchayat, along with a detailed statement of existing infrastructure in the village and a certified copy of the panchayat's budget.
Civil development work, electrical work or any other "infrastructure" building work costing not less than Rs 20 lakhs and more than Rs 3 crore are eligible under the scheme.
The panchayats are also required to execute agreements for maintenance of these projects either with any Self Help Group (Federation) or any committee or society or any NGO for better management of the project, including day to day cleanliness with the approval of the panchayat director.
