End ‘sarpanch-pati’ culture in panchayats: PM

25/04/2015

NEW DELHI, Apr 24: Prime Minister Narendra Modi today called for ending "sarpanch-pati" culture in panchayats, the practice of husbands of women sarpanches exercising undue influence, as he pitched for a leadership role for elected village representatives to alleviate poverty and promote education.
Recalling a political event in which someone told him that he was an SP (sarpanch-pati), Modi said, "this business of SP is going on. Law has empowered women. When law has given them the rights, they should also get an opportunity. Bring to an end this SP culture. They (women) should be given the opportunity. They should be promoted."
Addressing the National Panchayati Raj Day function here, the Prime Minister also expressed concern over school dropouts and felt that panchayats can play a role in arresting it.
Invoking Mahatma Gandhi, the Prime Minister said,"India lives in the villages. We need to think of how to develop our villages. Even in the remotest village, the dreams of the people are big. Think about what you can achieve in the next 5 years for your village."
Referring to his visit to an all-women Gram Panchayat in Gujarat when he was Chief Minister, Modi said that the sarpanch told him there that her motto was to ensure that no one remains poor in the village.
"Has Panchayats in our country ever thought that there should be no poor left in our country. If one village brings out five persons out of poverty in a year, what a big change will come in the country," he said.
Modi said issues such as education of children in the village and their vaccination should be given special attention by panchayat members.
The Prime Minister suggested that the sarpanches should take a lead in organizing meetings of all working and retired government employees belonging to a particular village once in a while and ensure community participation to bring about a turn around in a village in all respects.
Noting that all these works are not linked with constraints of budgets, he said, "We will not be able to develop our villages as long as we do not have a feeling of respect and pride towards them...We have to motivate people, provide leadership."
He said this required a firm resolve, rather than any budgetary provision. He gave some suggestions in this regard, such as celebrating a birthday of a village.
He urged Panchayat members to work with a five-year vision with concrete development plans to bring about positive changes in their villages.
The Prime Minister gave away the Annual Devolution Index (States) Awards, and E-Panchayat Awards, and congratulated the Zila Parishads and Gram Panchayats who were being felicitated on the occasion.
The Prime Minister urged panchayat members to motivate all government officials in their village to spend at least one hour a week with school children.
"Then you will see how the combination of budget and leadership brings about the turnaround," he said.
About reservation for women in Panchayati Raj Institutions, he said this does not exist in many countries and they get surprised to know that it already exists in India.
Union Minister for Panchayati Raj, Chaudhary Birender Singh said seats for panchayat representatives belonging to women, SC and ST should be reserved for two terms (10 years) instead of the current one term of five years.
The minister also rued that a number of states have not delegated powers to the representatives of panchayats despite laws mandating it.
He said that while the country is fortunate that it has a structure of Panchyati Raj to provide good governance, "it's a matter of concern that most of the village panchayats lack technical infrastructure".
Singh also underlined the need to prepare the panchayats to play a central role in the nation's development.
Lauding the Prime Minister's initiatives, Singh said the panchayats have been provided 3.5 times more money under the 14th Finance Commission in comparison to what they were given earlier, which will enable them to get a whopping Rs 2,00,292 crore money in the next five years.
"Each panchayat will get Rs 15 lakh annually. The big ones will get up to Rs 1 crore. So much money was never given to panchayats in the last 60 years," Singh said.
Minister of State Panchayati Raj Shri Nihal Chand was also present on the occasion.
The Prime Minister said that if the amount spent by the governments on development of villages in the last 60 years is totalled and then compared with the development that has taken place there, one will wonder where all the money went.
"That is why it needs to be thought out at the level of Panchayats. There are some states where Panchayats prepare their five-year plans and hence work is carried out there in a definite direction," he said.
Noting that fund is allocated to villages under various other heads as well, Modi said the need is to make teams to lead in villages and coordinate various works.
"If we collectively discuss the development of Panchayats, change will begin happening. I am not talking about the issues in which budget is a problem. An atmosphere has been created in our country that if something does not happen, it is due to lack of budget. The reality is not that," he said.
On the school drop out issue, Modi said one is anguished if his or her child stops attending school. "But do we feel the pain if some child in our village is a drop out? We should feel equal pain even then. The entire Panchayat should feel the pain. If we do it, I do not think anybody will remain uneducated in our villages."
The Prime Minister also wondered whether water can be given priority under MGNREGS work.
"MGNREGS work is carried out in every village. Whether we should give priority to water-related work in that. Whatever strength we have to put in doing it, we should do that but use MGNREGS for water management. Will any water crisis then come," he said.
Emphasizing on public participation, the Prime Minister said manpower resources available in the village can be motivated to bring positive development there.
Advocating a greater connect with the roots, the Prime Minister said that there should be programmes in villages from time to time when achievers from a particular area go back there and feel motivated to do something to develop the region.

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