Don’t stop at pavers, think bigger: CM to ZP members

PANAJI
Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Wednesday said the government is pursuing a village-centric model of sustainable development to make Goa self-reliant by 2037.
Speaking at the oath-taking ceremony of newly elected Zilla Panchayat members at the Secretariat in Porvorim, he also urged them to translate that vision into reality and not confine themselves to laying pavers or desilting works.
“Grassroots institutions would be key to strengthening rural Goa and ensuring development reaches the last mile,” he said as he urged the newly elected members to rise above party lines and work without bias.
Advising them to focus on resolving people’s problems at the administrative level, the CM also asked the ZP members to “not forget that you have been elected to undertake the development of your village.”
He described ZP members as the vital link between citizens and their MLAs, calling on them to support constituency-level development.
Cautioning against limiting their work to routine or small-scale tasks, Sawant encouraged members to take up meaningful and larger development projects rather than confining themselves to work such as laying pavers or desilting.
He said the government was guided by the principles of Antyodaya, Sarvodaya and Gramodaya, for strengthening rural communities and ensuring inclusive growth.
Minister for Panchayats Mauvin Godinho, also present at the function, called for collective efforts towards transparent, corruption-free and people-centric governance.
At the ceremony, Reshma Sandeep Bandodkar was sworn in as President and Namdev Chari as Vice-President of the North Goa ZP, while Siddharth Gaus Desai took oath as President and Anjali Arjun Velip as Vice-President of the South Goa ZP.