Saurabh Bhagat presides over joint valedictory function
Srinagar: Saurabh Bhagat, IAS, Director General, J&K IMPARD, presided over joint valedictory function of two 3-day training courses here at IMPARD Main Campus, Srinagar.
These short duration training courses included: “Sustainable Development Goals and Gram Panchayats” and “Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA)”. These training courses were conduct red by the Rural Development Wing of J&K IMPARD. The training courses started on November 22 and ended Thursday.
The participants from various Departments of J&K Government such as Horticulture, Agriculture, Sericulture, Rural Development, etc., attended these training courses.
In his valedictory address the DG IMPARD said local people, through efficient community mobilization, participate and share inputs with Government functionaries which enables the latter to remain informed about the conditions prevailing on the ground. This eventually helps them to execute development programmes efficiently at micro-level. Elaborating the theme of peoples’ participation, the Director General said that the Government of various countries including that of India are expected to frame their agendas for development while keeping in view the local conditions so that the goals set for development are sustainable in order that prosperity is ensured to all. In this context, the countries are expected to work according to the criteria laid down by the United Nations.
The Director General further said that in India the policy is to actualize development goals at the grassroots level, i.e., at gram panchayat (village council) level. This can be done by strengthening panchayat local government institutions and by capacity building of functionaries of Panchayat Raj Institutions (PRIs). He also said that Back to Viollage (B2V) was part of strengthening the people’s participation through interaction.
The Director General highlighted that not only men but also women are required to be made part of the decision making processes especially in rural areas. It is a tragedy that women’s contribution to the society and in the growth of GDP is not properly documented or highlighted.
Also present in the valedictory function were respective course coordinators Dr. B. A Kumar, Associate Professor and Dr. M. Ashraf Dar, Assistant Professor, Centre for Rural Development and Panchayati Raj; and Dr. Mushtaq Ahmad Khan, Professor and Head, Centre for Good Governance and Admistrative Reforms.
