Page 2 - Panchayats

Local taxes, fees contribute 1.1% to Panchayats' total revenue: RBI report

States like Tamil Nadu, Himachal Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Telangana reported higher non-tax revenue than others, according to the RBI report on the Finances of Panchayati Raj Institutions.

Govt signs MoU with IIM-A for training Panchayati Raj representatives

The Ministry of Panchayati Raj on Monday signed an MoU with the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad, for training elected representatives and functionaries of the Panchayati Raj institutions, the ministry said in a statement. Ministry of Panchayati Raj Secretary Vivek Bharadwaj also inaugurated the first-of-its-kind Leadership and Management Development Programme of the ministry titled 'Leadership in Panchayats for Strategic Rural Transformation (LEAPSTART)' at the Indian Institute of Management (IIM) in Ahmedabad today. During the inaugural session, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed by Joint Secretary Vikas Anand and IIM-Ahmedabad Director Professor Bharat Bhasker to operationalise Leadership and Management Development Programme. The ministry said that exchange of MoU marked the formal initiation of the "transformative initiative aimed at revolutionizing local self-governance for strategic rural transformation". Speaking at the event, Bharadwaj called upon the .

Rajasthan urban body, panchayati raj institution bypolls to be held in Jan

Rajasthan Election Commissioner Madhukar Gupta on Wednesday said the bypolls on vacant posts in the urban local bodies and the panchayati raj institutions will be held in January next year. Gupta said it is the commission's priority to hold the elections on vacant posts. He said the commission strives to make the electoral process fair, simple, easy and economical. The posts lying vacant due to various reasons in various urban bodies and the panchayati raj institutions of the state till August 31, 2023, include eight posts of members in the urban bodies, 20 of sarpanch in the panchayati raj institutions, 265 of panch, 24 of up-sarpanch, one of pradhan, he added. Gupta said the by-election for seven posts of the panchayat samiti members will also be held. According to this, the voting and counting of votes for the by-election of sarpanch and panch will be held on January 10, 2024, and the election of up-sarpanch will be held on January 11, 2024. Voting for the panchayat samiti mem

From panchayat to Parl: How 33% reservation empowered women at panchayats

Geeta Mahanand, the sarpanch of Risama panchayat in Chhattisgarh's Durg, said she would have never come forward to contest the rural polls had there been no reservation for women in the Panchayati raj system. A housewife who was thrust into politics after the seat was reserved for women, Mahanand said reservation not just empowered her to make decisions but also boosted her confidence to do more for the society. In the three decades since reservation of seats for women in panchayati raj institutions was introduced, the country saw women dismantling gender barriers to take the lead in the political field at the grassroots level and excel in it. In 1992, the P V Narasimha Rao government passed the 73rd and 74th Constitutional Amendment Acts mandating the reservation of one-third of seats for women in Panchayati Raj institutions. Over three decades later, the 128th Constitution amendment bill, referred to as the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam, is seen as yet another significant stride ..

BIS reaches out to 240,000 villages over awareness about quality standards

The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) has reached out to 2.4 lakh village panchayats so far to create awareness about Indian standards at the grassroot levels. BIS has undertaken a comprehensive initiative to sensitize Gram Panchayat Presidents and Secretaries across the country, an official statement said on Monday. BIS, the National Standards Body of India, plays a pivotal role in formulating standards and conducting conformity assessments of products and services. "Recognizing the critical importance of adhering to Indian standards for the well-being of citizens, the environment, and the overall quality of products and services, BIS has initiated this outreach program," the statement said.. The main objective of this initiative is to instil an understanding of the significance of adhering to Indian Standards among Gram Panchayats and ensuring compliance with these standards while implementing government programs and schemes at the village level. It aims to promote the culture of

Need for greater coordination between gram, block, zila panchayats: Giriraj

Rural Development Minister Giriraj Singh on Monday called for greater coordination between village, block and district panchayats, and called upon representatives from the local bodies to ensure that sustainable development goals are met. Virtually addressing a National Thematic Workshop on Localization of Sustainable Development Goals (LSDGs) in panchayats being held in Srinagar, Singh said the Meri Panchayat Mobile app" launched on Monday will help increase transparency in the work of panchayati raj institutions. Jammu and Kashmir Lt Governor Manoj Sinha and Minister of State for Panchayati Raj Kapil Moreshwar Patil attended the event. Singh lauded Sinha for the panchayat polls being held in the Union territory, and said local governance institutions will play a major role in writing India's development story. "We want our panchayats to be technologically enabled. This app is a new beginning in this direction," the minister said. "The Modi government has a target to fulfil the .

Nuh violence: FIR registered against speeches at Palwal 'mahapanchayat'

Police have registered an FIR against unidentified people for allegedly making provocative speeches at the August 13 'Sarv Hindu Samaj mahapanchayat' in Haryana's Palwal, officials said on Wednesday. The FIR was registered based on a complaint by Probationer Sub-Inspector (PSI) Sachin, who alleged that some people gave provocative speeches against the people of another community during the gathering in Pondri village, they said. The FIR was registered under IPC sections 153-A (promoting enmity between different groups) and 505 (statements conducing public mischief) among others at the Hathin Police station on Monday, police said. "An FIR has been registered and action will be taken as per the law," SHO Manoj Kumar said. The 'mahapanchayat' by Hindu outfits decided to resume on August 28 the VHP's Braj Mandal Yatra in Nuh which was disrupted after communal violence in July. It also made several demands, which included an NIA probe into the attack on the VHP yatra in Nuh on July 31 a

VHP's Braj Mandal Yatra in Nuh to resume on August 28: Mahapanchayat

The Panchayat has also called for an investigation by the NIA so that "everything becomes transparent"

Nuh incident: 'Mahapanchayat' by Hindu outfits to be held in Palwal

A 'mahapanchayat' by Hindu outfits will be held in Haryana's Pondri village on Sunday which will take a call on resuming VHP's Braj Mandal Yatra in Nuh that was disrupted on July 31 after communal violence broke out in the area, officials said. The 'Sarva Jatiye Mahapanchayat' was originally planned to be held in Nuh district's Kira village but permission was denied for it in view of the prevailing law and order situation. Permission for the event has been given in Palwal, Deputy Superintendent of Police (headquarters), Palwal, Sandeep Mor said on Sunday. Palwal and Nuh are adjoining districts. The mahapanchayat will be held under the banner of 'Sarv Hindu Samaj', in which Hindu outfits including the Vishva Hindu Parishad, will take part. Police said a gathering of around 500 people has been allowed for the mahapanchayat and strict action will be taken if anyone makes any kind of hate speech. Six people, including two home guards and a cleric, died in the communal clashes that er

Cong couldn't understand how crucial it was to implement Panchayati Raj: PM

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday hit out at the Congress, saying it could not understand for four decades after Independence how important it was to implement the Panchayati Raj system in villages. "No concrete efforts were made to strengthen the Panchayati Raj institutions during the Congress rule," he said after inaugurating the 'Haryana Kshetriya Panchayati Raj Parishad', a two-day BJP event, via video conference. The prime minister said the country today is moving ahead unitedly to realise the goal of a developed India and to fulfil the resolutions of 'Amrit Kaal'. "During the 25 years of journey of this 'Amrit Kaal', we have to keep in mind the experiences of past decades," he said. The road to a developed India goes through tier 2 and tier 3 cities and through villages which are becoming modern, he said, adding a new hope and energy is visible in the hinterland and in small towns. The Congress could not understand for four decades after Independence how important it wa

Elections to 39 municipal councils, nagar panchayats of Punjab in November

Elections to 39 municipal councils and nagar panchayats in Punjab will be held between November 1 and 15, according to a government notification. By-elections to 27 wards of some municipal councils and nagar panchayats and certain wards of three municipal corporations of Bathinda, Batala and Hoshiarpur will also be held in the first fortnight of November this year. "...the general elections to elect the members of municipal councils/nagar panchayats and bye-elections of certain wards of various municipal councils/nagar panchayats (will) be held within the first fortnight of November 2023," the notification issued by the local government department read.

Panchayat polls: TMC workers have been murdered, claims WB minister Panja

In a long Twitter post, TMC took on central forces for failing to ensure the safety and security of the people

WB polls: Polling booth vandalised, ballot papers set on fire in Coochbehar

Polling for panchayats in West Bengal began this morning under stringent security cover

All panchayats to be UPI-enabled on August 15 for revenue collection: Govt

All panchayats across the country will mandatorily use digital payments for all development work and revenue collection this Independence Day onwards, and will be declared UPI-enabled, a letter issued by the Panchayati Raj Ministry said. States should "announce and inaugurate" the UPI-compliant panchayats in the presence of prominent dignitaries, like chief ministers, MPs, and MLAs, the ministry said in the letter to states and Union territories. Secretary, Panchayati Raj Ministry, Sunil Kumar told PTI almost 98 per cent panchayats have already started using UPI-based payments. "Payments worth almost Rs 1.5 lakh crore have been made through the Public Financial Management System (PMFS). Payments to panchayats will now be made digitally. Payments in cheques and cash have almost been stopped," Kumar said. "It has almost universal coverage now. We have already covered almost 98 per cent of panchayats," he said. Panchayats have also been asked to hold meetings with service providers a

WB panchayat polls: Contempt plea filed at HC on central forces deployment

Two separate contempt of court petitions have been filed at division bench of HC's Chief Justice Sivagnanam against State EC for not adhering to earlier order of same bench for deployment of army

Bypolls to fill vacant seats in Panchayats across Haryana on July 9

The by-elections to fill vacant seats in various positions within the gram panchayats, panchayat samitis and zila parishads in Haryana will be held on July 9. Haryana State Election Commissioner Dhanpat Singh on Thursday announced the election programme. The polling will be held between 7 am and 6 pm on a total of 1,983 seats, including 1,958 of panches, 18 sarpanches, five members of panchayat samitis, and two members of zila parishads. Singh said the deputy commissioner-cum-district election officer (panchayat) will shortly publish the election notice after which nomination papers can be filed from June 21 to 26 from 10 am to 3 pm. He said the nomination papers will be scrutinised on June 27 from 10 am onwards. The last date for withdrawal of candidature is June 28 till 3 pm. Counting of votes will be done immediately after the close of poll and in case of repoll, the poll panel might change the date and time of counting, he added. The election commissioner said the model code

West Bengal three-tier panchayat polls to be held on July 8: State EC

The three-tier panchayat polls in West Bengal will be held on July 8, State Election Commissioner Rajiva Sinha said on Thursday. The polls for the village councils will be held in a single day and the last day for filing nominations will be June 15. The panchayat polls will be held on July 8. The last date for filing nominations is June 15. The last date of withdrawal of nominations is June 20, Sinha told a press conference here. Sinha, however, evaded a direct reply on whether the elections would be held under the supervision of central forces as demanded by opposition parties. The panchayat election is considered to be an indicator of which way the state will vote in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.

Over 100,000 farmers from 1,000 panchayats attend orientation in J&K

At least 1.10 lakh farmers from 1,000 panchayats of Jammu and Kahsmir took part in the orientation programme which has been organised in four rounds to create awareness about various agricultural schemes of the government, officials said. The 'Kisan Sampark Abhiyan' has been rolled out under the Holistic Agriculture Development Plan (HADP) with 29 proposed projects with an outlay of Rs 5,012 crore to be implemented in the next five years. The latest round, conducted from May 15 to May 17, saw a remarkable turnout. The programme has covered 1,097 panchayats thus far. Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha also joined the campaign, visiting Dooru panchayat in Anantnag district and Hardpanzoo panchayat in Budgam district. "Over 1.10 lakh farmers have participated in the orientation programme in 1,000 panchayats held over four rounds in Jammu and Kashmir. The latest round, conducted from May 15 to May 17, saw a remarkable turnout. The programme has covered 1,097 panchayats thus far," said Ata

Despite nod for PMAY aid, wait gets longer for poor in Kashmir's Bandipore

Bandipore (J&K), March 22 (IANS/ 101 Reporters) Five families in Sumlar braved the recent sub-zero temperatures in tin sheds as Rural Development Department is yet to transfer the Rs 2.25 lakh approved for building concrete houses.

PM Modi urges panchayats to prepare action plan on water supply management

He further said that a system of periodic water testing should also be developed to ensure the quality of water