Akathethara builds a green bridge to the future
The grama panchayat in Palakkad displays admirable ecological consciousness and rides on the wings of technology
Green initiatives:Finance Minister T.M. Thomas Isaac inaugurating the Palakkad Gap afforestation scheme of the Akathethara grama panchayat.
Akathethara (PALAKKAD): Ecological disasters and environmental degradation might be issues beyond the scope of a local body. But grassroots-level initiatives to restore the ecological balance at least at the local level have great relevance, especially in an environmentally sensitive part of the world.
Akathethara grama panchayat, lying in the lap of the Western Ghats, is engaged in such an endeavour in a bid to reverse degradation of the nearby forest areas that has hurt the living conditions of the people.
The terrain, known popularly as the ‘Palakkad Gap’, is said to be one of the longest forest passes in the world and the effort of the panchayat over the last two years has been to green this stretch by planting more than one lakh saplings.
The panchayat launched the programme on June 5, World Environment Day, last year. Christened ‘Green the Gap’ programme, the panchayat’s initiative has received widespread praise with a survey undertaken by the Forest Department showing that 90 per cent of the saplings have survived.
The 40 km-wide natural gap in the 1,960-km Western Ghats plays a key role in determining the special characteristics of the district such as its climate and commercial and cultural exchanges with the rest of the country.
Instead of resting on its laurels , the panchayat has planted another 25,000 saplings beginning June 5 this year, thereby taking its greening initiative to the entire panchayat with the help of the Forest Department, says panchayat president D. Sadasivan.
The panchayat has also taken up planting of saplings on private land and the sides of roads and canals and, most importantly, on the banks of the Kalpathy river. Last year, bamboo was planted on 25 acres under the Centrally sponsored ‘Hariyali scheme’. The panchayat also launched a watershed development programme with the involvement of local padasekhara samithis and karshaka samithis under the supervision of the Akathethara Integrated Watershed Council.
Farmers are being given tips on good farming techniques and machinery by the agro clinic set up by the panchayat and their labour requirements are met to a large extent by its ‘labour bank’.
Akathethara has also fast tracked itself into the cyber world with a fully computerised office with a front office flaunting a touch screen enquiry facility. The people of the panchayat can now submit applications and petitions online and get certificates of ownership, birth, death, residence, etc. without the usual hassle.
It has also taken up many social welfare schemes and formed a ‘Senior Citizens Club’ to make it a ‘senior citizen friendly panchayat’. Health care is being provided to terminally ill patients under the ‘Ashraya Scheme’.
The panchayat has set up a solid waste management plant in its bid to become a ‘zero waste panchayat’.
It has won the Nirmal Puraskar carrying a purse of Rs.5 lakh from the Central government for its total sanitation initiatives.
Reference Link
http://www.hindu.com/2010/07/06/stories/2010070659060400.htm
Courtesy
The Hindu
Clean, green panchayats bestowed with honour
More to come:Collector M. Jayaraman with the presidents of village panchayats which won the Nirmal Gram Puraskar in Tirunelveli
TIRUNELVELI: Collector M. Jayaraman on Monday felicitated the presidents of 11 village panchayats for having received the Nirmal Gram Puraskar, being presented by the Centre to the clean and green rural local bodies.
The Central government gives Nirmal Gram Puraskar awards to the village panchayats for ensuring the construction of toilets in every house under its jurisdiction, planting trees in every street, constructing drainage channel and converting the garbage into vermicompost.
The award carries a memento, certificate and cash award ranging from Rs. 50,000 to Rs. 5 lakh, based on the population of the award-winning local body.
And, this amount could be spent for sanitary operations, to augment drinking water supply, constructing drainage channels, establishing infrastructure facilities for solid and liquid waste management.
Since the district administration was executing the ‘Total Sanitation Campaign’ in the district with much vigour, so far 38 village panchayats in the district had bagged the Nirmal Gram Puraskar award since 2005-2006.
For the year 2008-2009, nineteen village panchayats had been selected for this award.
Mudaliyarpatti (Kadayam union), Oormelazhagiyaan (Kadayanallur), Soorankudi (Kalakkad), Inaamvellakkaal (Keezhapaavoor), Usilankulam and Chitthirampatti (Kuruvikulam), Kaanaarpatti, Karunkaadu (Maanur), Chinna Kovilaankulam (Melaneelithanallur), Chinthamani (Nanguneri), Thiruvenkatanathapuram (Palayamkottai), Chaattupaththu (Pappakudi), Aanaikudi (Radhapuram), Ilaththur and Karkudi (Shencottai), Aayiraperi (Tenkasi), Pazhavoor and Levingipuram (Valliyoor) and Ramanathapuram (Vasudevanallur) had been selected.
Since the heads of eight of these village panchayats were felicitated in a function held at Vickramasingapuram on June 21, others were honoured by Mr. Jayaraman on Monday in a simple function held at the Collectorate.
Complimenting the village panchayats that had bagged the Nirmal Gram Puraskar Award, Mr. Jayaraman informed that the district administration had nominated the names of fifty village panchayats for the award for the year 2009-2010 as these rural local bodies had fulfilled all mandatory norms to get the honour. Project Officer, District Rural Development Agency R. Sankar was present.
Reference Link
http://www.hindu.com/2010/07/06/stories/2010070657780200.htm
Courtesy
The Hindu
State bags award for panchayat empowerment award
Jagadish Shettar receives the award from Manmohan Singh
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh presenting the first prize in the Panchayat Empowerment and Accountability Incentive Scheme in New Delhi on Saturday to Jagadish Shettar, Karnataka Minister for Rural Development and Panchayat Raj.
Bangalore, India: Karnataka along with Kerala has bagged the first prize in Panchayat Empowerment and Accountability Incentive Scheme (PEAIS) of the Centre for 2009-10.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh presented the award to Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Minister Jagadish Shettar in New Delhi on Saturday.
The award comprises a cash prize of Rs. 2.5 crore and a citation. Presidents and vice-presidents of several zilla panchayats of the State were present.
Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa expressed happiness over the selection of the State for the award constituted by the Centre and said the Government would delegate more power to local bodies to empower them and make them financially strong.
Work stopped
He said work on the proposed Dandavati irrigation project in Shimoga district would be temporarily halted following objections from the tribunal appointed to adjudicate surplus Krishna waters. “I am confident that after the tribunal pronounces its verdict, we can continue it,” he said. The tribunal headed by Brajesh Kumar at its sitting in New Delhi on Friday had expressed displeasure over Karnataka taking up the project without bringing it to its notice and for not securing its permission.
The State accorded approval about three months ago for the project to provide irrigation in parts of Shimoga district by utilising 1.8 tmcft of water.
Mr. Yeddyurappa alleged that the former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda and the former Chief Minister S. Bangarappa had influenced the tribunal by opposing the project and said their action would only help Andhra Pradesh.
Reference Link
http://www.hindu.com/2010/04/25/stories/2010042553680400.htm
Courtesy
The Hindu
A unique learning experience
TIRUCHI, India: Participants of the recent day-long workshop for women panachayat leaders here were impressed by the performance of their counterparts in Kanyakumari district.
The workshop organised by the Department of Women’s Studies, Bharathidasan University, Tiruchi, served as a forum for the participants to draw motivation through sharing of experiences, according to the Department Head N. Manimekalai.
The speakers comprising Prabha of Mullaikinamilai Panchayat, Saroja of Muthalakkurichi Panchayat, and Maria Agastinal of Athivilai Panchayat, all Nirmal Grama Puraskar Awardees were elected successfully for the third subsequent time. They provided substantial insights into transparent administration, the method of assessing the needs of the people and fulfilling them through government schemes; analysing local issues promptly through grama sabha meetings, creation of awareness on basic facilities, sanitation, employment generation, dynamism and objectiveness in functioning. They said their responsibilities included monitoring tax collection, determining the conditions of the toilets, helping in acquiring poromboke land and redistributing them under land reform schemes, efficient utilisation of constituency development fund of MLAs and MPs.
They held that recognising the needs of people, without discriminating between communities, religions and political parties, and serving the people with the given power had brought them success. The issues that received their maximum attention included provision of water supply, road construction, sanitation, enrolment of children in schools, arresting dropout through continuous counselling, maintaining good relationship with school authorities, and various government departments.
They were ever ready to take up cudgels on behalf of the public. For instance, Ms. Prabha faced 55 cases in her third tenure but was able to overcome the challenges with the determination to bring about harmony and safeguard the rights of the people.
The participants realised that replicating such an approach will go along way in improving rural India better. They were given to understand that as elected representatives, they ought to visit their office everyday and understand the issues faced by the people. Serving people with a commitment will help in sustaining their successful run in elections. They need to succeed in ensuring support from various sections of the society, the women panchayat leaders learnt. They also received inputs on the ways of maintaining good relationswith government departments, the district administration, line departments, SHG women, youth, people and political leaders.
Reference Link
http://www.hindu.com/2010/02/25/stories/2010022558390200.htm
Courtesy
The Hindu
Goodness Apple 
leave a comment