Trichy district Panchayat presidents, secretaries trained in computer operations

Collector Jayashree Muralidharan addressing panchayat chiefs during the inaugural of the computer training for them in Tiruchi.

Presidents and secretaries of all the 404 village panchayats will be trained in basic computer operations and maintenance of village accounts. About 257 of them are undergoing a five-day training commencing this week with 226 panchayat chiefs and secretaries being trained at M.A.M.College of Engineering while 31 are being trained at ELCOT’s training centre at the Collector’s office.

The training organised by the State Institute of Rural Development and the district administration comes in the wake of supply of computers to the village panchayats and many of them have got broadband connections too. But not many presidents and secretaries are able to operate the computers.

The training will seek to overcome this lacuna and ensure that the village chiefs and secretaries were computer literate to handle basic operations and maintenance of accounts.

Collector Jayashree Muralihdaran, who inaugurated the training for panchayat presidents and secretaries from Andhanallur, Manikandam, Tiruverumbur, Manapparai, Marungapuri, and Vaiyampatti unions at the ELCOT centre earlier this week, urged the panchayat chiefs and secretaries to open e-mail accounts so that they could get access to government circulars and notifications easily.

The training component includes basics operation of computers, an overview of hardware and software, applications of various software, and Internet.

The panchayat chiefs and secretaries were also trained in panchayati raj institutions accounting software (PRIASoft) provided by the Union government to computerise the accounts of the three-tier panchayat bodies.

Using the software, panchayats, panchayat unions, and district panchayats are required to file their accounts and vouchers online to facilitate better financial management and ensure transparency in panchayat accounts.

The training is being conducted in batches and will be completed by the first week of January, said A. Lalitha, assistant director of panchayats.

The training is being held at M.A.M.College of Engineering for panchayat chiefs and secretaries from Lalgudi, Manachanallur and Pullampadi unions, Nehru Memorial College (for those from Musiri union), Kongunadu Engineering College (Thottiyam union), Imayam College of Engineering (Thathaiyengarpet union), and Jayaram College of Engineering (Thuraiyur and Uppilliyapuram unions).