Members of the Naguvanahalli Gram Panchayat in Srirangapatna taluk firmly believe that representatives of panchayat raj institutions should not work for the sake of awards. If they discharge their roles and responsibilities with dedication, their hard work will be honoured suitably.
The 19-member gram panchayat, half of them women, in Mandya district has been chosen for the Gram Panchayat Development Plan Award (GPDPA), a national award, for its immense contribution towards rural development in its region.
The annual awards being given by the Panchayat Raj Ministry, for the season 2018-19, were announced in Delhi on Wednesday.
Several hundreds of panchayats had competed for the GPDPA and of them 24 from various States and Union Territories have been selected. Sanjeeb Patjoshi, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Panchayat Raj, Government of India, announced the list.
Aggressiveness
The members and staffs at the panchayat are known for their aggressiveness in implementing government-sponsored schemes. They regularly conduct meetings to discuss the issues for the development of villages as well to monitor the progress/process of implementation of government schemes.
The panchayat has procured its own vehicle to collect solid waste, distributed separate bins to every household in its limits for segregating dry and wet waste, installed solar-powered street lights and low power-consuming high mast street lamp posts, and set up a digital library, H.G. Yogesh, visually impaired Panchayat Development Officer (PDO), at the GP, told The Hindu .
Educating the representatives through a projector, discussing widely about the plans and programmes with the members before the implementation, maintaining cleanliness by using weed cutter and other equipment, recording the development programmes/execution of plans through handycam, imposition of blanket ban on the use of plastic bags, and effectively implementing the development schemes are some of the proactive measures being implemented by the GP for rural development.
Questionnaire
The Ministry had assessed the achievements of the panchayat by seeking details with 100 questions. A team from the ministry had also visited Naguvanahalli and other places in February this year.
Naguvanahalli, Naguvanahalli Colony, Rajiv Gandhi Nagar, Chandagalu, Belawadi, Brahmapura and Bommuru Agrahara fall under this panchayat. The total population is 7,029.
President B.R. Nandakumar, computer operator P. Manjula, panchayat secretary S. Shivalingaiah, bill collector M.P. Lakshman, and every member and staff are striving for the development of the villages, the PDO said.
Speaking to The Hindu here, Mandya Zilla Panchayat Chief Executive Officer K. Yalakki Gowda lauded the staff of the Naguvanahalli Grama Panchayat for their contribution.
The award distribution programme is expected to be held after the withdrawal of COVID-19 lockdown.
