The Hindu : `Realise Rajiv Gandhi's dream of gram swarajya'

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Jan 23, 2004

Karnataka

Karnataka - Others

`Realise Rajiv Gandhi's dream of gram swarajya'

By Our Special Correspondent

RANEBENNUR (HAVERI DISTRICT), JAN. 22. Several non-governmental organisations, including the National Committee for Protection of Natural Resources (NCPNR), the Jan Vikas Andolan (JVA), and the Gram Ganarajya Vedike (GGV), which have been spearheading the movement for real empowerment of the panchayat bodies, have urged the Congress President, Sonia Gandhi, to ensure that the provisions of the 73rd Constitution Amendment were implemented in all Congress-ruled States. This had been said in a communication sent to Ms. Gandhi, who is scheduled to inaugurate a panchayat convention on Friday.

The NGOs have pointed out that the Congress governments had miserably failed to implement the Constitution amendment and that Ms. Gandhi should see that the hopes cherished by her husband, Rajiv Gandhi, in ushering in "gram swarajya" should be fulfilled under her regime.

The functionaries of the NGOs are here for a three-day "Sankalp Conference" for rededicating themselves to work for making the panchayat institutions real local self-governments.

Nearly 300 delegates from throughout the country are attending the conference, which is expected to finalise future course of action towards effective devolution of powers, finances, and functions to the panchayats.

Among those who will be participating in the conference are M.K. Prasad of the Kerala Sastra Sahitya Parishat and President of the NCPNR, S.R. Hiremath of the JVA, and R.M. Patil, Convener of the Gram Ganarajya Vedike.

As part of the movement, it has been proposed to launch a non-cooperation movement at Haranagiri in Ranebennur taluk on Saturday.

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