Govt signs MoU with IIM-A for training Panchayati Raj representatives

The Ministry of Panchayati Raj on Monday signed an MoU with the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad, for training elected representatives and functionaries of the Panchayati Raj institutions, the ministry said in a statement.

Ministry of Panchayati Raj Secretary Vivek Bharadwaj also inaugurated the first-of-its-kind Leadership and Management Development Programme of the ministry titled ‘Leadership in Panchayats for Strategic Rural Transformation (LEAP–START)’ at the Indian Institute of Management (IIM) in Ahmedabad today.

During the inaugural session, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed by Joint Secretary Vikas Anand and IIM-Ahmedabad Director Professor Bharat Bhasker to operationalise Leadership and Management Development Programme. The ministry said that exchange of MoU marked the formal initiation of the ”transformative initiative aimed at revolutionizing local self-governance for strategic rural transformation”.

Speaking at the event, Bharadwaj called upon the panchayats to embrace their potential as role models for effective local self-governance. “Panchayats play a crucial role in our democratic framework. By investing in their capacity–building and training, we are investing in the very foundation of our nation to realize the vision of a developed India – Viksit Bharat by 2047. I urge the panchayati raj institutions to lead by example, becoming beacons of positive change, transparency, efficiency and public welfare,” he said.

Bharadwaj said that by working closely with institutes of excellence such as IIM-Ahmedabad, we aim to create a network of standardized training programs that empower panchayats across the nation.

The programme will be conducted till January 19, 2024, at the campus of IIM-Ahmedabad where around 60 elected representatives and functionaries of panchayati raj institutions, including chairpersons / presidents and chief executive officers of district panchayats from different states are participating. The representatives from Andhra Pradesh, Andaman and Nicobar Island, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Daman and Diu, Goa, Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Rajasthan, Sikkim, Tamil Nadu, Tripura, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand are participating in the programme.

Principal Secretary, Panchayats, Rural Housing and Rural Development Department, Government of Gujarat, Mona Khandhar, Development Commissioner, Panchayats and Rural Housing Department, Government of Gujarat, Sandeep Kumar, and Director, Ministry of Panchayati Raj, Vipul Ujwal, were also present on the occasion.