Shillong, Oct 30: Grassroots governance in Northeast has got a big boost aimed at empowering Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) across the region.
“Meghalaya will get better Panchayat infrastructure with the Central Empowered Committee (CEC) of the Revamped, Centrally Sponsored Scheme of Rashtriya Gram Swaraj Abhiyan taking a decision” a statement from the Ministry of Panchayati Raj today said.
In the meeting, decision has been taken for the construction of 400 Panchayat Bhawans-cum-Common Service Centers in Arunachal Pradesh. Similarly, Panchayat infrastructure has been supported for the other States of North East including Mizoram, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Assam, Manipur. Overall, 1633 Gram Panchayat Bhawans and 514 Common Service Centres have been approved for the States of Northeast.
The Common Service Centre enhances access to essential services, such as digital payments, public grievance systems, and social welfare schemes and fosters inclusive governance and community involvement, especially for the most remote areas.
Over a period of last few years, a number of decisions to support the infrastructure development for Panchayati Raj Institutions in the North Eastern States and the UT of Jammu and Kashmir have been taken. In the past years, the Ministry has supported construction of Panchayat Bhawans as well as setting up of Common Service Centres for ease of the residents in these areas.
“These initiatives aim at enhancing administrative efficiency and provide essential services at the grassroots level, significantly contributing to the development of Vibrant Villages” the statement said.
The CEC’s backing of Panchayat infrastructure development in Vibrant Villages on the border reinforces India’s commitment to strengthening border areas. Improved access to governance and essential services in these strategically important regions helps create self-reliant, well-connected border villages, which is critical for both local development and national security.
As regards sponsoring panchayat officials for long-term domestic training Programs for higher learning, North East (NE) and Hilly States can sponsor 10 candidates each for higher learning.
The move aims at ensuring that the officials receive advanced, sector-specific training from Institutes of Excellence which will upgrade their skill set for better service delivery at the grassroots. This aligns with the objective of RGSA to strengthen decentralized governance and improved implementation efficiency. It will boost the overall competency of officials involved in rural development and local self-governance, thereby improving grassroots planning. It will also result in extensive Human Capital formation in PRIs over a period of few years.
The CEC has approved the standardization of honorarium rates for Master Trainers, Guest Faculties, and Eminent Resource Persons across States/UTs. This decision ensures equitable compensation, fostering the availability of high-quality trainers, which is critical for improving training delivery at the grassroots level.
The upgradation of State and District Panchayat Resource Centers (SPRCs and DPRCs) into smart classrooms will also help the Northeast where technological penetration has traditionally been limited. This is particularly relevant given the central role of digital literacy in facilitating effective e-governance and service delivery in remote regions.
