Bhubaneswar: Special Gram Sabhas will be organised across all Gram Panchayats in Odisha on October 2 on the occasion of Gandhi Jayanti, with emphasis on greater public participation and grassroots development planning.
Rural Development, Panchayati Raj and Drinking Water Minister Rabi Narayan Naik has written to all Sarpanchs, urging them to make the special Gram Sabhas more meaningful, participatory and people-oriented.
Drawing on Mahatma Gandhi’s vision of Gram Swaraj, Naik stressed the need to identify local problems, community needs, available opportunities and development priorities through active participation of villagers.
He also called for making public opinion and participation the basis for preparing the Gram Panchayat Development Plan (GPDP) under the People’s Plan Campaign 2026-27.
‘Reform Utsav’ will be one of the key themes of this year’s special Gram Sabha. The Minister advised Sarpanchs to ensure wider involvement of villagers in discussions on government schemes, reform initiatives and various issues concerning rural development.
The special Gram Sabhas are aimed at strengthening grassroots participation and ensuring that local development priorities are reflected in village-level planning.
