A new chapter is all set to be added to the glorious history of the Steel City with Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressing the Panchayati Raj Sammelan at JRD Tata Sports Complex on the occasion of National Panchayati Raj Day on Sunday. The city has been spruced up for hosting the Prime Minister and strict vigil is being ensured by the SPG.
According to the official itinerary, the Prime Minister will arrive at Ranchi airport at 2.00 pm and leave for Jamshedpur, where he will stay for around one-and-half hours.
Union Minister for Rural Development, Panchayati Raj & Drinking water & Sanitation Birender Singh and Jharkhand Chief Minister Raghubar Das are among those to be present on the occasion. Modi’s address to the gathering will be beamed live to all the Gram Sabhas across the country.
The Ministry of Panchayati Raj has been celebrating the National Panchayati Raj Day (NPRD) on April 24 since 2010, as it was on this day in 1993 that the 73rd Constitutional Amendment came into force.
The Prime Minister will present awards on the occasion to Kerala, Maharashtra, Karnataka and Sikkim for devolution of maximum powers to panchayats so far (Cumulative Devolution Index awards) and to Andhra Pradesh, Sikkim and Odisha for devolution of maximum powers to panchayats in the last three years (Incremental Devolution Index awards). Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat will be given awards for making the greatest progress in aligning their laws to Panchayat Extension to Scheduled Areas Act 1996. These awards are being given for the first time. Karnataka, Kerala, West Bengal and Assam will receive awards for making maximum efforts to e-enable panchayats.
A new ‘Mandate of the Ministry of Panchayati Raj’ will be released along with the ‘Devolution Index Report’ by the Prime Minister on this occasion.
The Central Government, in collaboration with State Governments and Panchayats, launched the ‘Gramoday se Bharat Uday Abhiyan’. The campaign began with Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar’s 125th birth anniversary on April 14, and will culminate with the Panchayati Raj Day on April 24.
“More than 3,500 delegates from different States (barring those States having Assembly polls) are participating in the event,” said district social welfare officer Ranjana Mishra.
Meanwhile, the district administration is taking no chances in view of the bandh called by the JMM to register its protest against the domicile policy announced recently by the State Government. The shutdown has got support of the Congress and other local outfits.
The JMM has planned to block all State highways and NH-33 and also prevent vehicles trying to bring villagers for the PM programme in city. A secret team has been formed to show black flags and raise slogans against the State domicile policy before the Prime Minister between Sonari Airport and the venue JRD Tata Sports Complex.
Kolhan DIG Sambhu Thakur on Saturday discussed the strategies to tackle bandh supporters on Sunday in a meeting with senior cops of three districts of Kolhan, East Singhbhum, West Singhbhum and Seraikela Kharswan.
He said strict vigil has been ensured in-and-around the venue. The police administration will do everything to foil any attempt to obstruct Panchayati Raj Day function.
East Singhbhum SSP Anoop T Mathew said that it has been decided to take stern legal action against those who will try to obstruct the programme. "Traffic is an important issue that has been addressed in view of the event. We have prepared the roadmap and also chalked out alternative routes for traffic diversion," he said.
Vehicular access has been prohibited on Airport Road stretch (from Sonari Airport to Circuit House roundabout), stretch of Sakchi Boulevard road (from Circuit House Road to Jusco corporate office roundabout), stretch of Straight Mile Road (from Jusco corporate office roundabout to Sakchi roundabout) and Subernarekha link Road stretch (from Rajendra Vidyalaya school to Old Court premise).