Udupi District Progressing Well under Panchayat Raj Development – Pramod Madhwaraj
Udupi: The district has been progressing well under the panchayat raj development said Minister for Sports, Youth Affairs, Fisheries and Minister in-charge District Pramod Madhwaraj. He was speaking after inaugurating the Gram Swaraj Jagruthi Abhiyan organised by Rajiv Gandhi Panchayat Raj Unit at the Congress Bhavan here on March 1.
The Gram Swaraj Jagruthi Abhiyan is essential to realise the dream of Mahatma Gandhi to promote development in the villages. Rajiv Gandhi empowered panchayat raj by introducing amendments to it. He had witnessed the problems in villages while he had toured the country. There are 6023-gram panchayats in the State, the gram panchayat of Bengaluru Town, Udupi and Dakshina Kannada is leading in the state. The Udupi district is far ahead in the panchayat raj system index and can be compared with any other district of the state. Briefing about a survey taken up to evaluate education, health, drinking water, sanitation status of the gram panchayats in the state, the minister said the top three places goes to Bengaluru Urban, Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts. All these districts are above the average criteria. Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts are highly developed in this aspect. Development of the panchayat raj will strengthen Mahatma Gandhi’s perspectives of the village development, he added.
Former union minister and Rajya Sabha MP Oscar Fernandes said that Mahatma Gandhi has said that social justice to the poor should be the first priority than leading the country towards independence. The vision of our leaders has led Udupi to lead in the state. Udupi has catered to strengthen the banking services. The development witnessed in Udupi district is the collective efforts of the people. There are 33 lakh panchayat members in the country and most of them are women. Women can effectively lead the nation towards development. The Gram sabha can promote development in the villages and also the issues affecting the villages are widely discussed, representatives of the people should effectively participate in the gram sabha, he added.
Former minister V R Sudarshan and B L Shanker, Congress leader MA Gafoor, Rangaswami, Naveen, Narayana Swami, B M Sandeep, Balaji Rao Khade, Jayashree Krishnaraj, Sarala Kanchan, Sarasu Bangera, Sathish Ameen Padukere, Roshni Olivera and others were present.