The Legitimate Desk Governance
The state government has launched a very fascinating initiative “Back to villages”. Under this initiative the gazetted level officers are entrusted with a task to reach out to every Panchyat of the state and take the first hand feedback of state and central government run schemes. The initiative began on 20 June and will be concluded on 27 June. Under the State Administrative Council led by governor Satya Pal Malik, the step is being considered as a beginning for empowering the Panchayats in state.
The empowerment of Panchayats in state has always been a big issue since the successive regimes have failed them to empower fearing the decentralization of powers. After a long gap of thirty years the elections for the panchayts were first held in 2011 when large number of people participated hoping to see the governance reaching their door step.
In the run up of elections, as many as 35 Sarpanchs and Panchs lost their lives due to escalating militant and separatist threats. However, the elections held by the then Omar Abdullah led government concluded successfully but only to dismay people later on. The Omar led government not only failed to empower the Panchayats, however, there have been minimal execution of developmental works largely under the control of state administration in the rural pockets of the state.
Omar’s failure of empowering the Panchayats of state and decentralizing governance was amply due to its own legislatures resisting the move fearing to lose the control over the day to day affairs in their respective constituencies. As most of these legislatures have failed to work over on the development front to improve the rural life standards, they have extremely been exploiting the plight of people to secure their political interests.
When the world is setting its eyes to build the human habitations on other planets, in Kashmir the majority of people are deprived of basic amenities. The battle of commoner here still is to seek the safe drinking water, roads and electricity. The absence of such facilities shall not be attributed to the lack of funds; however, predominantly the mass corruption, nepotism and the lack of political will have enormously contributed to this fiasco.
Now the people of Jammu and Kashmir have set the hope on Malik who ahead of ‘back to village’ initiative assured to release funds to the Panchayats directly. Malik’s initiative, if followed in true spirit will set the new dawn of development in state which is in dire need of massive developmental dose. After the rug was pulled out beneath the feet of Mehbooba Mufti last year in July, the deferring of Assembly elections has truly served the significant purposes. The Union government first held the elections for Panchayats which seemed to have been impossible had New Delhi first held the Assembly elections. The local elected regimes have always been opposing the empowerment of common people. So the New Delhi must understand it and support Malik to endow this best initiative to the people of state.
What is back to village initiative?
Back to village is an initiative launched by SAC to ascertain the feedback of people, discussing the developmental plans and know the first hand about the ongoing works in rural areas supported by state and center government.
“Back to the Village program will focus on four main goals, namely energizing Panchayats, collecting feedback on delivery of government schemes/programs, capturing specific economic potential and undertaking assessment of needs of the villages besides affording an opportunity to Gazetted officers to visit the villages,” reads the statement issued by government.
It said the program will involve the people of the state and government officials in a joint effort to deliver the mission of equitable development across all our rural areas.
The program is primarily aimed at energizing the 4483 Panchayats and directing development efforts in rural areas through community participation and to create in the rural masses an earnest desire for decent standard of living.
He added that the program revolves around the concept that while the official machinery has to guide and assist, the primary responsibility to improve local conditions rests with the people themselves. Therefore, people must be encouraged to own the program so that benefits are maximized for them.
Meanwhile, the people hailed the Back to village initiative. The villagers say that the time is changing, so the model of governance. Till recent past it was the people taking rounds of government offices to seek the redressel of their genuine issues. But now government is reaching to the door step.
“We see the change in attitude of government now. This is real employment of people where officers are instructed to reach to the people and not vice versa. I would often take rounds of civil secretariat to get the works of my village done. And most of the times these officers would refuse to meet and we would return home disappointed. Now the times have changed as we see the true essence of democracy,” said Nazir Ahmad, a sarpanch of Baramulla village.
Noted social activist and RTI Convener, Dr Raja Muzaffar Bhat said that the positive thing about Back to Village programme is tha it has got converted into a Village Social Audit that is exposing the corrupt nexus of NREGA Thekedars and some Officials of Rural Development Department.
“Many village plans prepared arbitrarily have been declared null and void as people are showing deep interest in rural governance.. I wish this campaign is capitalized and continues post June 27th 2019 as well.
Above all Lecturers and Non Technical visiting officers who we thought can’t do justice in this Campaign are performing better than officers from administrative background. They listen to people with deep interest and make notes of everything,” he said.
