THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: In a major decision aimed at strengthening the functioning of local bodies ahead of the second edition of Peoples Plan programme, Cabinet on Thursday decided that chief minister, ministers, MPs and MLAs will attend grama sabha and ward sabha meetings to be held between April 2 and 9. The chief minister, his Cabinet colleagues, parliamentarians and legislators will attend grama sabhas and ward sabhas in their respective grama panchayats and urban bodies. Top bureaucrats including chief secretary, principal secretaries will also take part in the grama sabhas. Besides marking the beginning of second edition of Peoples Plan programme, the forthcoming grama sabhas will also formally finalise programmes related to government’s four mega missions; Haritha Keralam, Life, Ardram and Modernisation of Education.
The government has integrated Peoples Plan with the four mega missions. It requires committed officials, expertise of retired officials and devoted volunteers to implement schemes under these projects. The involvement of chief minister and ministers in garma sabhas is considered significant. According to a study in 2015, attendance in grama abhas in more than 70 per cent local bodies was poor. This in turn had resulted in poor utilisation of funds and project implementation.
The government believes high participation in grama sabhas will ensure better performance in enrolment of volunteers, local level planning, project preparation, transparency, administrative efficiency and checking corruption. Cabinet sanctioned Rs 56.76 crore as third installment for the endosulfan victims. Rs 5 lakh each would be given to those who are totally bed ridden, mentally challenged and the kin of those who died due to health issues, Rs 3 lakh each for cancer patients and those suffering from physical disability. Rs 5 lakh financial assistance to the wife of P.K. Podimon died after grounding the first heart transplantation in government sector in the state.
