New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said dedication to public service and service to the nation by elected representatives and functionaries of Panchayati Raj and Rural Local Bodies is truly inspiring for everyone.
In a message read out at a national event to observe National Panchayati Raj Day in New Delhi, marking 33 years of the 73rd Constitutional Amendment Act, the Prime Minister said active participation of women and youth can make panchayats even more effective.
PM Modi said empowered panchayats are the backbone of local governance and the critical link in Jan Bhagidari, transparency and all-around development.
Elected representatives of Gram Panchayats, as well as officials from Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, and Uttarakhand, participated in the national event.
Union Minister of State for Panchayati Raj S.P. Singh Baghel stressed that empowering Panchayats is central to realising the vision of Viksit Bharat, rooted in the development of villages, farmers and local communities.
While highlighting the positive impact of the Ministry’s capacity-building programmes, he stated that they have led to a visible transformation in leadership and decision-making among elected representatives, particularly women.
He commended the role of transparent governance mechanisms and direct benefit transfers in strengthening service delivery at the grassroots level.
Baghel called upon all Panchayat representatives to uphold the values of service, integrity, and development-oriented leadership, and expressed confidence that a strong Panchayati Raj system is the surest foundation for a self-reliant India.
Panchayati Raj Secretary Vivek Bharadwaj highlighted the financial empowerment of Rural Local Bodies as recommended by the Sixteenth Finance Commission.
He noted that the recommended grant represents an increase of nearly 84 per cent over the allocations under the Fifteenth Finance Commission, reflecting a decisive strengthening of fiscal federalism in favour of the third tier of government.
Bharadwaj elaborated on the 80:20 ratio between Basic Grants and Performance Grants, which balances assured resource flows with incentives for improved own-source revenue mobilisation, financial discipline and quality of local governance.
He drew attention to the Performance Grant provision recommended by the 16th Finance Commission, linked to the mobilisation of Own Sources of Revenue by the Panchayats and called upon PRIs to take concrete steps to mobilise and augment their own sources of revenue to get Performance Grants.
(IANS)
