Reorganise GPs to activate PRI in State: GSS

BHUBANESWAR: “To make the Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRI) function effectively, the State Government need to urgently reorganise the Gram Panchayats (GPs) and make smaller GPs throughout the State,” demanded Gram Swaraj Sammukhya (GSS) convener Jagdish Pradhan at a Press meet here on Monday.

Pradhan said the size of the GPs in the State are so large that include seven to eight villages and in some places even up to 30 to 35 villages as a result the people are not getting their space to air their voice properly. The Gram Sabha also constitutes all the voters of each GP and hence it has been found that nowhere in the State, the Gram Sabha meetings have been held properly, he added.

GSS proposed to the Government that any village which has more than 1000 population should have a GP and in case of smaller villages two or three villages could be clubbed together to form a GP. In this way, Odisha should have about 30,000 GPs and about 750 Panchayat Samity, it said.

“It has been seen that in the States wherever there are smaller GPs functioning, implementation of the rural development schemes have been more effective and the incidence of poverty in those States is also less,” said Pradhan, adding, “The provisions of the PESA Act and Forest Rights Act 2006 are yet to be implemented in the proper spirit in the State.”

GSS member Sudarshan Chotray said that the Government should form Ward Sabhas for the big villages which consist of wards to address the problems of all the village people. They have met all the party leaders and submitted the memorandum to impose pressure on the Government to materialise the proposal. “We have informed some State leaders about the proposal. They would give their opinions very soon,” said Chotray, adding, “We would organise a State-level convention to hold dialogues with media on the matter.”