KOELWAR PANCHAYAT WITH GOOD GOVERNANCE

KOELWAR PANCHAYAT WITH GOOD GOVERNANCE

27-JULY-ENG 12

RAJIV NAYAN AGRAWAL

ARA--------------------------'Panchayat Development Day' was organized on Sunday across the panchayats of Koilwar block in Bhojpur district, centered on the theme "Panchayat with Good Governance." During the event, villagers were informed about good governance, the functioning of the panchayat, and various government welfare schemes.

However, villagers raised questions regarding the organization and transparency of the program in some panchayats.

In this regard, Block Panchayati Raj Officer (BPRO) Kunal Raj stated that Panchayat Development Day was organized in all the block's panchayats.

He personally participated in the program held at Narbirpur Panchayat, educating villagers about the importance of panchayat accountability, transparent administration, and public participation.

He mentioned that this program is organized on the last Sunday of every month with the aim of increasing public participation at the panchayat level and ensuring that the benefits of government schemes reach the last person in the queue.

Meanwhile, at Dhandiha Panchayat, Panchayat Secretary Chandan Kumar highlighted the significance of Panchayat Development Day and discussed the theme "Panchayat with Good Governance" in detail.

Panchayat representatives, women from self-help groups, youth, and villagers participated in the event. Information regarding schemes from various departments, eligibility criteria, application processes, and methods to avail benefits was provided.

Finally, officials listened to the villagers' grievances and assured them of a speedy resolution.

On the other hand, villagers from some panchayats in the block alleged that Panchayat Development Day was not organized in their areas, or if it was, there was no prior publicity. Consequently, most people remained unaware of the program, and public participation was extremely limited.

In this context, when Amit Prakash—the nodal official deputed for Panchayat Development Day at Gopalpur Panchayat—was asked... When asked to provide photos and videos of the event, they began to prevaricate.

Initially, they did not give a clear answer regarding this; later, they stated that they had no photos or videos of the event available and disconnected the call after suggesting that the relevant Panchayat head (Mukhiya) be contacted for pictures.

Villagers argue that public-participation-based events—such as 'Panchayat Vikas Diwas' (Panchayat Development Day)—should be organized transparently and widely publicized so that the maximum number of people can gain information about government schemes. Questions raised regarding the organization of these events in the Panchayats have become a topic of local discussion.