Surjit
Singh Rakhra wants to be remembered as Rural Development and
Panchayat Minister who made earnest efforts to bridge the rural-urban
divide. In an interview with Jangveer Singh, he talked of the need
for region-specific schemes.
What
are your first impressions on taking over as Rural Development and
Panchayat Minister?
My
first thoughts were to take steps to end factional fighting in
panchayats, which spokes the development process. I am aware of the
migration from villages to urban areas and the lack of facilities in
villages due to which even government servants are reluctant to serve
there. Unemployment in rural areas remains a bane.
How
do you propose to change this state of affairs?
We
are fine-tuning the ‘e-panchayat’ initiative under which the
functioning of panchayats will become transparent. I want to make
people proud of their villages by ensuring they have their own portal
where apart from information on the village, expenditure of
development funds will also be recorded. This will remove bad blood
among different factions on the money spent on development works.
Simultaneously, the PURA (Provisioning of Urban Amenities in Rural
Areas) is being implemented under which villages with a population of
25,000 - 40,000 will be provided urban facilities. Skill development
centres will also be developed in rural areas under this scheme.
What
else is being done to make the department functioning more efficient?
Training
is being given by chartered accountants to sarpanches, panches and
officials to help them prepare accounts as per the Comptroller and
Auditor-General (CAG) guidelines. Rules are being recast to improve
the qualification of panchayat secretaries. Video-conferencing
facilities are being set up at our office in Mohali for direct and
periodic interaction with officials in the field. The concept of
‘panchayat sammelans’ has been given shape. This will enable
direct interaction with sarpanches at the district level. We are
highlighting success stories to promote the concept of model
panchayats.
What
is your immediate priority?
Besides
focusing on reforms, I want to end open defecation in three years.
The state will spend Rs 285 crore in three years to cover 5.5 lakh
families who do not have a toilet. The scheme will be open to
everyone who does not have a toilet in his or her home.
There
have been complaints about the design of rural toilets. There are
issues of seepage and waterlogging. Will these be addressed?
The
design is sound. Problems have occurred where beneficiaries have made
changes or are using excess water. The toilet seats are angled in
such a manner that they require minimum water for cleaning. We have
also brought in Sulabh under which besides construction of toilets,
an awareness drive will be undertaken to ensure that these are used
regularly. The company has been awarded a contract for constructing
15,000 toilets in the first phase.
The
scheme for the houseless has not been implemented properly. What
steps are you taking in this regard?
We
are awaiting the latest socio-economic survey. The 2001 survey had
identified only 4.40 lakh families living below poverty line (BPL).
We expect the cost per house to be increased from the present Rs
45,000.
Any
move to better the lot of village ponds?
There
are ponds in 25,000 acres, that comes to roughly two acres per
village. A plan has been made to rejuvenate 800 ponds this year. We
are looking at a UNICEF technology that divides the pond into four
parts with the first part being the inlet. Duckweed and fish will be
used to clean the other parts.
Encroachment
of village land and the manner in which ‘shamlat’ land is used
has been a matter of controversy. What remedy do you suggest?
There
will be zero tolerance towards encroachments. The department is in
the process of getting cross cases filed wherever panchayat land has
been encroached upon. We will get orders for eviction and reclaim
such land. We have decided on a 24-hour helpline that will receive
and track such complaints.
What
is the status of livelihood improvement schemes?
We
have 40 such schemes in 11 districts covering 1.84 lakh hectares.
They include integrated watershed managements projects, mainly in the
Kandi area, besides schemes encouraging drip irrigation, livestock
development and provision of drinking water and roads in the backward
regions of the state.
What
challenges to you expect in the way of realising your goals?
Funds
remain a challenge. We will try to ensure matching grants wherever
needed. The state cannot avail of several schemes due to BPL
limitations. Punjab needs area-specific schemes to accelerate the
rate of development. We also want to be given special status. We have
peculiar problems with industry being non-existent in border
districts, some areas waterlogged and still others in Kandi thirsting
for water.
Copyright
: The Tribune Trust, 2007
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