Jaipur, Feb 13 (IANS) A delegation from the Rajasthan government, led by State Panchayati Raj Minister Madan Dilawar, embarked on an educational tour to Kerala to explore advancements in the Panchayati Raj system.
On the first day of the visit, Minister Madan Dilawar had a packed schedule, engaging in discussions and knowledge exchange with officials from Kerala’s Panchayati Raj Department.
During a meeting at the Kerala Institute of Local Administration (KILA), Thrissur, Minister Dilawar interacted with officials, professors, faculty members, and training in-charges, gaining insights into Kerala’s Panchayati Raj system.
The Kerala officials also delivered a presentation on the state’s governance model, highlighting their strategies for empowering local self-governance.
Madan Dilawar shared key initiatives undertaken by Rajasthan’s Panchayati Raj Department, including Annapurna Rasoi – a subsidised meal scheme for rural communities, Rashtriya Gram Swarajya Abhiyan – a national program for strengthening local governance, lease distribution scheme – providing land rights to nomadic communities, ownership scheme – facilitating land ownership for rural populations and Swachh Bharat Mission (Gramin) – promoting rural sanitation and hygiene.
Additionally, he provided details about the training programmes conducted by the Indira Gandhi Panchayati Raj Training Institute over the past year and the activities of its six state-level training centres.
Addressing the meeting, Minister Madan Dilawar emphasised that Rajasthan is placing special focus on rural cleanliness, with the goal of making the state a leader in rural sanitation within the next two years.
To achieve this, the government has implemented the revised Basic Schedule of Rates (BSR) for cleaning tenders, ensuring that sanitation workers receive fair wages rather than traditional honorariums.
He further highlighted that daily cleaning and garbage collection systems have been introduced in rural areas, similar to urban regions, to improve hygiene and sanitation.
The Rajasthan delegation included Jai Narayan Meena – Special Assistant to the Minister, Ashok Sharma – Private Secretary, Satish Gupta – Special Officer to the Minister and Jagdish Vijay & Dr. Surendra Godara – Representatives from the Indira Gandhi Panchayati Raj Training Institute.
–IANS
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