When panchayats are strong, villages naturally move forward - Dr. Ravjot

 When panchayats are strong, villages naturally move forward - Dr. Ravjot

Hoshiarpur/Nov15 /Daljeet Ajnoha 

     To strengthen grassroots rural development initiatives in Punjab, the State Institute of Rural Development (SIRD), Mohali, organized a Gram Panchayat Development Plan (GPDP) programme at BDPO Block–1, Hoshiarpur. Punjab Cabinet Minister Dr. Ravjot Singh participated as the chief guest and addressed field-level staff from various departments.

The programme saw enthusiastic participation from sarpanches, panches, ASHA workers, anganwadi workers, members of self-help groups, and MGNREGA staff.

In his address, Dr. Ravjot emphasized that empowering gram panchayats is the foundation of rural development. He underscored the need for transparency, community participation and inter-departmental coordination to ensure that the benefits of development projects reach the grassroots effectively.

She described the GPDP as “a guiding roadmap for transforming villages,” helping panchayats identify local needs, allocate resources efficiently, and implement development plans more effectively.

Dr. Ravjot also appreciated the contributions of ASHA workers, anganwadi workers, SHG members, and panchayat representatives, acknowledging them as a vital link between the government and the community. He assured that training programmes would be further strengthened.

The event was supervised by ADC (Development) Nikas Kumar, while Deputy CEO Dhara Kakkar, as the nodal officer, ensured effective coordination and monitoring.

District Coordinator and Resource Person, SIRD Neha Sharma welcomed the chief guest and highlighted the objectives and importance of GPDP.

DPM Mukesh Kumar shared key insights on training modules, government schemes, and best practices in rural development.

Following this, resource persons Rajinder Kaur, Shobha Rani, and Sahil Kumar provided detailed information to the participants.

During the interactive session, participants raised queries related to various development schemes, which were addressed in detail by the resource persons.The programme concluded with a collective resolve that panchayat representatives and field staff will continue to advance inclusive and sustainable development in rural areas.