Kerala - Kozhikode   

`Awareness on Panchayati Raj low'

Special Correspondent

KOZHIKODE: Rasta, a non-governmental organisation in Wayanad, has claimed to have confirmed the findings of earlier studies that people's awareness about the Panchayati Raj system of government continued to be abysmally low, though it has been practised for a decade.

Rasta recently conducted a social audit on its own project on "Strengthening decentralised governance through the capacity building of people's organisations" in Panamaram Grama Panchayat. This project revealed that awareness about Panchayati Raj was unsatisfactory, it says.

The project consisted of a detailed study on the participatory matrix on grama sabha. Nearly 900 people from 18 wards were interviewed and training was imparted to elected members of the grama panchayats on planning, implementation and management of development projects; participatory problem analysis in tribal "oorukoottams" was also conducted.

Rasta had also conducted a model grama sabha, and developed a community-based resource team of 23 persons on the Panchayati Raj system, besides organising gender-awareness programmes.

Rasta director T.K. Omana says it became clear during the programme that the awareness-level about Panchayati Raj system was pitiably poor. People know very little about power and responsibilities. It indicated that the grama sabha had come down to a level of a common gathering of project beneficiaries to avail themselves of various schemes from the panchayat. Because of this, only people living below the poverty line (BPL) attend the sabha.

Participation of educated people and the youth was found almost nil in most grama sabhas.

Many said they did not attend them since they felt that their voice was not "heard" there.

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