Gram Sabhas will be organised in 20,000 villages of 9,734 village panchayats of Chhattisgarh from August 20, officials informed here on Friday.
In these Gram Sabhas, intended for direct participation of people in the works of village panchayats, information about different schemes of the State Government will be given to local villagers by presenting account of works of local gram panchayats before them. Various materials will also be given away to selected beneficiaries under the scheme in the presence of people.
Voters from every village of the State are members of the Gram Sabha. In their presence, budget, proposed schemes and last year’s expenditure of panchayats will be approved and works to be taken up under government schemes and beneficiaries will be selected in the Gram Sabha. Social audit of the works of gram panchayats will be done in these gram sabhas.
Chief Minister Raman Singh has appealed to the people residing in the rural areas to attend the Gram Sabhas in maximum number.
The Gram Sabha and Village Panchayat are the foundation of democracy. Direct participation of local voters is necessary for its success. For it, the State government has amended the Panchayat Raj Act and has made organisation of Gram Sabhas in each village of every Gram Panchayat on minimum four special occasions in a year mandatory, he added.
Panchayat and Rural Development Minister Ajay Chandrakar said that his department had issued circular along with action list on August 5 to all Collectors of the State for the organisation of Gram Sabhas.
In the circular, directives have been issued to decide different dates and programmes for holding Gram Sabhas at Janpad Panchayat level.