Yogi Adityanath to inaugurate national conference on panchayats

New Delhi: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath will inaugurate a conference on panchayats on April 23, on the eve of the National Panchayati Raj Day, in Lucknow, Rural Development Minister Narendra Singh Tomar said on Thursday.

Last year, the conference was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

"Modiji has insisted that we should organise events of the Centre outside the national capital to reach out to the people," Tomar told reporters here.

"This year, Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath will inaugurate the conference in Lucknow. On the occasion, he will also give awards to the gram panchayats," he said.

Tomar will preside over the conference.

The Union minister said as per the recommendations of the 14th Finance Commission, the Centre will release over Rs 2 lakh crore this year to the gram panchayats for a five-year period.

About Rs 30,000 crore was allocated to the panchayats as per the recommendations of the 13th Finance Commission, which was found to be not sufficient, he added.

Emphasising on the training of panchayat functionaries, Tomar said the Centre was making all-out efforts to ensure "real empowerment" of the gram panchayats.

He said a training programme will be jointly undertaken by the State Institute of Rural Development (SIRD) and state governments.

This year, 189 panchayats in 25 states will be awarded for their exemplary work in delivering services to the public.

Of the awards, 124 will be given to village panchayats, 41 to intermediate panchayats and 24 to district panchayats.

The YouTube channel of the ministry will also be launched at the inaugural event of the conference, which will showcase the short films of the ministry, featuring the success stories and best practices of the panchayats.