The Gram Panchayat Hakkotaya Andolana will be organising a three-day State-level conference here from December 9 to 11, titled “Gram Swarajya Samavesha”, focusing on issues concerning the gram panchayats .
The conference convener, Nandana Reddy, told presspersons here on Wednesday that many rights and powers had been conferred on gram panchayats as per the 73rd amendment of the Constitution. But these rights were being slowly usurped by the Government. Gram panchayats had to have the powers conferred on them to maintain their autonomy and to facilitate smooth functioning.
Eight topics would be discussed on the first two days of the conference, including problems of gram panchayats with a majority of tribal population in backward areas, problems of gram panchayats near town and urban areas, Right to initiate: participation of those deprived of opportunities, harmony and peaceful existence, finance, functions, and functionaries, resource mobilisation by gram panchayats and their proper utilisation, gram panchayats as self-governing units: gram panchayat officers, their responsibilities and rights, and the political will to strengthen democratic decentralisation.
Nearly 500 delegates will be participating in the eight sessions on the first two days. Resolutions will be passed in an open session on the third day of the conference based on the discussions.
Chief Minister D.V. Sadananda Gowda, Minister for Panchayat Raj and Rural Development Jagadish Shettar, Minister for Higher Education V.S. Acharya, and the former Union Minister Mani Shankar Aiyar will participate in the concluding day of the conference.
