Nagaland observes Panchayati Raj Day

Kohima, April 24 (MExN): The Department of Rural Development observed National Panchayati Raj Day at RD Directorate Conference Hal on April 24.  

On the occasion, Director, RD, Metsubo Jamir, while dwelling on the origin of the Panchayati Raj Act, said it was from the Rural Development department that the initiative to declare and to implement the Panchayati Raj Act was taken from because Nagaland had the Village Council Act in place and the Government of India wanted to assimilate and incorporate the Village Council Act into the Panchayati Raj Act and to legislate the process.  

“All of us here in the Rural Development Department should be very proud of this day because in 1992, the correspondence that was taken up by the Government of India to implement the Panchayati Raj Act was taken from the State Rural Development,” he said. Jamir further put across his gratitude for Nagaland being exempted from the Panchayati Raj Act because the Act entails elections where each member has to be elected and the election process is the same as electing an MLA to the Legislative Assembly conducted by the State Election Commission and each Panchayat chairman is empowered through a general consensus. He expressed his apprehensions about how our system will be functioning now had the Act been implemented, taking into consideration how Legislative elections are taking place in the State.  

“We have 1238 VDB, we are not under the 73rd Amendment and because of that we are literally given a free hand on our developmental aspect,” he stated adding our VDBs are very powerful institutions and very good development tool that our State has integrated.  

A press note said that Additional Directors, RD, Imlimeren Jamir and Nolegol Angami also spoke on the occasion. The programme was chaired by Joint Director, RD, K. Neibou Sekhose while invocation was pronounce by Joint Director, RD Neizovonuo. At the National level, Panchayati Raj Day is being celebrated today at Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh where a team of RD officials and VDB Secretaries from the State are attending.