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.
He also highlighted the need for the utilisation of resources in rural areas to the optimal use of technology for greater transparency.
Kataria was speaking at the inauguration of the Panchayat Conference 2023 Phase II, organised by the Assam Legislative Assembly here.
Elected representatives of six districts - Kamrup Metropolitan, Kamrup, Nagaon, Morigaon, Darrang, and Nalbari -, were present at the meeting.
"Panchayati Raj institutions, as the pillars of India's grassroots administrative system, hold immense significance in our democratic contour.
"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.
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.
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.
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.
Information technology should also be used in the functioning of Panchayati Raj institutions to lend transparency to the works, he added.
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.
This panchayat conference is an initiative to strengthen the holistic approach to people’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.
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.