Dr. C.P.Joshi calls for out of the box thinking to reach out to the
people Ambika Soni pitches in for concerted action Focus on synergy of
Rural Development and I&B Ministry at the Workshop
19:30 IST
Rural Development and Panchayati Raj Minister Dr. C.P.Joshi has called
for out of the box thinking by the policymakers to make the rural
masses aware of their rights and entitlements under the various
schemes of the Government. This would help in not only creating
awareness but also ensure that the benefits of the programs of the
ministry of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj reach out to the
needy and the poor in rural areas. Dr. Joshi was addressing the two
day workshop to Strengthen Local Self Governance and Accelerate Rural
Development at Sri A.P. Shinde Symposium Hall, NASC Complex, PUSA here
on July 22nd & 23rd, 2010.
Dr. Joshi underlined the need to empower the Gram Sabhas to reach out
to the rural , remote, vulnerable, tribal population and especially
the poorest of the poor to fulfil the dreams of decentralization in
the real sense. Dr. Joshi said that there is a persistent need to
inform, educate and train the village representatives with over 2.50
lakh sarpanchs around. This is feasible only by a Grameen TV Channel
dedicated to the rural masses. Citing the success of Andhra Pradesh
model of Community Radio in rural areas villages there, he said such
models should be explored for replication on wider scale and Self Help
Groups should be encouraged. The Minister also stressed on the
convergence of ideas between the Ministry Of Rural Development and
Ministry Of Information and Broadcasting to propagate the appropriate
message to the people. Emphasizing the need to redefine the role of
various agencies involved in creating awareness, he said that we can
build upon our collective strength.
Information and Broadcasting Minister Ambika Soni in her address
called for a concerted action to ensure that every citizen of the
country is aware of the programs and schemes for the welfare of rural
masses. She made it clear that it is the duty of the Government to
ensure that the programs is not only confined to the files but reaches
out to the people. The Minister said that an effective multimedia
communication strategy is the need of the hour which should cater to
the information needs of every section of the society in local
language in an interactive manner which is viewer or listener friendly
and uses different mediums. She lauded the community radio initiative
and said that the ministry has set up a target of 4000 community radio
stations by 2012.
The Union Minister of State for Rural Development Shri Pradeep Jain
Aditya said that there is an urgent need to bridge the urban-rural
divide and different units of the Ministry Of Information and
Broadcasting can play the role of catalyst in transforming the rural
areas. He cited the role of Song and Drama division in Bundelkhand
region in this context.
The Union Minister of State for Rural Development Agatha Sangma
highlighted the strides made in the field of rural drinking water
supply and sanitation and said that the awareness about these programs
must reach out to the rural masses and Panchayati Raj institutions
must be engaged in real sense in looking after the drinking water
mission in their localities.
The two day workshop is being attended by the representatives from the
States/State Institute Of Rural Developments /Regional Doordarshan
Kendras & Radio stations/officers of Ministry Of Rural Development ,
Ministry Of Panchayati Raj, Ministry Of Information & Broadcasting and
Ministry Of Youth Affairs & Sports to prepare an action plan for
re-engineering activities for accelerating rural development.Each
Department/Division will share their policy documents including
guidelines and latest instructions, best practices and innovations
with the focus on state wise physical and financial performance, areas
of concern, best practices and innovations for the action plan.
With a plan budget of Rs. 79,340 crore in 2010-11, the Ministry of
Rural Development considers it as a matter of priority to make aware
the rural population of their rights and entitlements for the
improvement of their well-being. The workshop brings together a host
of stakeholders to share ideas and is a part of the vision of
sustainable and inclusive development of rural India while reaching
out to the millions of households in rural areas.
http://pib.nic.in/release/release.asp?relid=63426
--
Nookaraju B
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