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Block officials often override decisions taken by panchayats

Staff Reporter

NGO conducts survey in 34 gram panchayats

BHUBANESWAR: At a time when panchayats have been handed over power to implement several welfare programmes, a majority of gram panchayat representatives feel block level officials often override their decisions.

According to survey done by a city-based non government organisation, Centre for Youth and Social Development (CYSD), 48 per cent of respondents were of the view that decisions taken at palli sabha or gram sabha were changed at the higher tiers.

About 76 per cent gram panchayat representatives interviewed in the study said block level officials made changes in decisions taken by them.

Ill-equipped

"The Government officers say the representatives are ill-equipped to implement programmes and most of them have not undergone any training programme for the purpose," CYSD secretary Jagadananda said.

The survey was carried out in 34 gram panchayats spread across six district - Koraput, Sundargarh, Rayagada, Keonjhar, Kalahandi and Cuttack. Five district level and 16 block level government officials were interviewed while the response of 43 panchayat samiti and 132 gram pancahyat representatives was obtained. About 343 households responded to the questionnaire. As per the findings, as high as 60 per cent of respondents said beneficiary selection process was biased. The study found majority of voters and their representatives in the State had low level of awareness of various functions of panchayati raj institutions. The study said less than one per cent gram panchayat representatives were aware of the provisions of the Panchayat Extension to the Schedule Areas (PESA) Act, 1996.

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