New Delhi: This is India’s time.
A time for India to lead in grassroot digital governance for citizen empowerment for achieving sustainable development goals (SDGs). This was highlighted by Vivek Bharadwaj, IAS, Secretary, Ministry of Panchayati Raj, Government of India in the inaugural of National Colloquium on “Governance at the Grassroots after Three Decades of the 73rd Constitutional Amendment” in New Delhi recently.
He added, ‘this is a time for reflection, resolve, and reaffirmation to strengthen the Panchayati Raj system,” and praised the progress that has been made in rural governance over the past three decades, as well as the notable participation of women, which has led to female-led development across rural India.
Bharadwaj further stressed the Ministry’s dedication to supporting strong, capable, and independent Panchayats. He urged for more manpower and a proactive strategy to boost Own Source of Revenue (OSR), which is vital for local self-sufficiency.
IAS Dr. Chandra Shekhar Kumar, the Additional Secretary of the Ministry of Panchayati Raj, talked about the visible impact of Panchayats on rural governance. He said, “Panchayats have become a vibrant space in governance, showing remarkable progress in their journey.” He shared a detailed roadmap for improving local self-governance to promote the overall development of Panchayats.
The event had various sessions led by experts such as Amarjeet Sinha and Sunil Kumar, former Secretaries of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj. They discussed challenges and opportunities in public service delivery and the development of good governance principles at the local level.
About 300 stakeholders, including government officials, experts, and representatives from the UN and other organisations, joined talks about using digital technologies to improve rural governance. They talked about the importance of Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs), how digital and e-governance projects can work together, and ways to make PRIs stronger for better services.