Assam Governor Gulab Chand Kataria on Saturday stressed the importance of Panchayati Raj institutions as half of the country's population lives in rural areas.
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He also highlighted the need for the utilisation of resources in rural areas to the optimal use of technology for greater transparency.
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Kataria was speaking at the inauguration of the Panchayat Conference 2023 Phase II, organised by the Assam Legislative Assembly here.
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Elected representatives of six districts - Kamrup Metropolitan, Kamrup, Nagaon, Morigaon, Darrang, and Nalbari -, were present at the meeting.
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"Panchayati Raj institutions, as the pillars of India's grassroots administrative system, hold immense significance in our democratic contour.
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"India is a country of villages and more than half of the country's population live in rural areas. Therefore, it is important for our villages to go forward and become a catalyst to national development," he said.
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The governor advocated for creating a robust ecosystem where the resources of the rural areas can be utilised to their optimal level for the development of human resources belonging to villages.
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He also stressed setting goals for rural development and keeping these goals in mind, the gram sabhas should be organised for expeditious development of the villages.
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Underlining the importance of women's empowerment, Kataria said the participation of women in the decision-making process under the Panchayati Raj system is important.
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Information technology should also be used in the functioning of Panchayati Raj institutions to lend transparency to the works, he added.
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Assam Assembly Speaker Biswajit Daimary said that in a parliamentary democracy, Panchayati Raj institutions have a vital role to play in the effective implementation of government schemes at the grassroots level.
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This panchayat conference is an initiative to strengthen the holistic approach to people바카라™s welfare in the state. The issues raised and discussed in the conference will help in empowering the system and serve the people in a better way, Daimary added.
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He also said the Legislative Assembly would compile a report encompassing the suggestions, issues, etc, raised by the stakeholders in the conference and it will be submitted to the state government for necessary action.