“The State Government is taking several steps to revolutionise the functioning of the gram panchayats,’’ Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai said in Belagavi on Tuesday. He was speaking at a campaign meeting in support of his party candidate in the Legislative Council polls.
“This year, we have introduced several development and welfare programmes in 750 gram panchayats in the State under the AMRUT scheme. If this is successful, then it will be extended to the whole State. Under this scheme, we are going to strengthen the panchayat institutions by digitising record documentation and service delivery. This will ensure that all the homeless residents of the villages selected will get sites or houses. Village residents will no longer need to go to taluk or district headquarters to get copies of government records,” he said.
“Digitisation will help improve education, health and governance. Schools will get better content and governance will be fast and transparent. Rural hospitals will function better with specialist doctors giving directions to doctors in primary health centres via teleconferencing. I am sure gram panchayat members and the people will support us,’’ he said.
Later, he told journalists that there was no doubt about the winter session being held in Belagavi.
“We will have discussions on various issues, including the losses suffered by farmers during the floods and the steps taken by the government to provide relief. They are getting relief within 24 hours of sending details of their loss to the State Government. We have paid out around ₹422 crore till now to farmers across the State. Every day, we are releasing around ₹50 crore-₹80 crore to farmers.
Agriculture Department officers have been directed to supply farmers with plans of alternative cropping and a contingency plan to reduce losses. They include cultivation of short-term crops that can be harvested in 90 days, the Chief Minister said.
“Successive Congress governments had failed to increase the relief amounts under National Disaster Relief funds. Prime Minister Narendra Modi increased the amounts. Now, farmers are getting over ₹2,700 per acre. Earlier, it was very low. Of course, the demand that it should increase further is justified,’’ he said.
