The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : Women's panel invites proposals from panchayat leaders

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Dec 22, 2004

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Women's panel invites proposals from panchayat leaders

By Our Special Correspondent

CHENNAI, DEC. 21. The chairperson of the State Commission for Women, Vasanthi Devi, has invited representations from women panchayat leaders on devolution of funds to local bodies in the State.

She said she would take up the issue at a pre-budget meeting organised by the National Commission for Women (NCW) in New Delhi on December 27 and 28.

The commission called for the meeting to determine the requirements of women in the next budget and to make recommendations to the Finance Minister.

At a training workshop for women activists of NGOs working with panchayat organisations, Ms. Vasanthi Devi said letters could also be sent to the commission office at 100, Anna Salai, Guindy.

Natural resources

Ms. Vasanthi Devi said town panchayats should be empowered to preserve natural resources coming under their jurisdiction.

This would prove more effective in regulating sand mining and water flow. This experiment worked well in Kerala.

Funds allocation

The Tiruvarur district panchayat chairman, V. Selvaraj, said there were gaps in transferring powers to the local bodies.

Complaining that funds were not being sanctioned on time, he said the heads of local bodies should be given guidelines for utilising the funds as they often spent the money on trivial schemes.

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