REASI, OCTOBER 02: The Maha Gram Sabha/Reform Utsav was launched today across all 153 Gram Panchayats of District Reasi with a special focus on strengthening participatory governance, prospective and demand-driven development planning, transparency, digital documentation and effective community participation at the grassroots level. The launch coincided with the Gandhi Jayanti commemoration.
The Gram Sabhas provided a platform to rural citizens, elected representatives, Panchayat functionaries and line departments to deliberate upon future development priorities, local needs, livelihood opportunities and community requirements, and to formulate Village Gram Panchayat Plans (VGPPs) under the People’s Plan Campaign (PPC) – “Sabki Yojana Sabka Vikas.”
The deliberations focused on prospective planning, convergence of Government schemes, prioritization of need-based works, livelihood promotion, rural infrastructure, sanitation, employment generation and sustainable development. Special emphasis was laid on preparing Panchayat development plans in accordance with local aspirations, available resources and clearly identified future requirements.
The rural community was also sensitized regarding the 375 permissible activities under the Viksit Bharat – Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (VB-G RAM G), with emphasis on identifying eligible works as per local requirements and incorporating the same into prospective and demand-driven Panchayat development plans.
The conduct of Gram Sabhas was closely monitored by the Rural Development Department at different levels. All Block Development Officers (BDOs) remained vigilantly engaged and ensured proper arrangements, effective mobilization, systematic conduct and smooth organization of the Gram Sabhas within their respective blocks.
In addition to block-level monitoring, Mukesh Sharma, Assistant Commissioner Development and Akshay Rajan, Assistant Commissioner Panchayat visited multiple Gram Panchayats across Blocks Panthal, Katra, Reasi and Pouni to personally review the conduct of the Gram Sabhas, assess community participation and oversee the arrangements, deliberations and documentation process.
At Kotli Bajalian, Block Katra, Ashima Sher Joint Director, Rural Development Department Jammu Division, along with Mukesh Sharma, ACD and Akshay Rajan ACP accompanied by BDO Katra and BDO Panthal, participated in and reviewed the Gram Sabha proceedings. The officers assessed the arrangements, quality of deliberations, participation of the rural community and the process of prospective and demand-driven planning.
A major focus of the Reform Utsav was digital documentation and technology-enabled monitoring of Gram Sabha proceedings. Gram Panchayats were advised to capture good-quality, geo-tagged photographs of the proceedings for subsequent uploading on the GPDP Portal. The required parameters of the Facilitator Feedback Report were also recorded for timely uploading after conclusion of the Sabha.
To strengthen transparency and maintain an accessible digital record, good-quality audio/video recordings of Gram Sabha proceedings were captured for subsequent uploading on the Panchayat Nirnay Portal/App. The attendance of participants and resolutions adopted during the proceedings were also systematically recorded for digital uploading.
Special emphasis was further laid on capturing quality audio/video clips for uploading on AI-SabhaSaar, facilitating the use of Artificial Intelligence for preparation of Minutes of Meeting at a later stage. Participant attendance was also recorded for uploading on the TMP Portal, thereby ensuring systematic digital documentation of participation and proceedings.
The ACD and ACP also ensured digital monitoring of the Gram Sabha process across all 153 Gram Panchayats of the district, with emphasis on timely documentation, quality of proceedings, attendance, resolutions, photographs, audio/video recordings and compliance with the prescribed digital reporting requirements.
Randomly selected Gram Sabhas were also attended and observed by senior officers to assess the quality of deliberations, community participation, preparedness at the Panchayat level and the process of preparation of prospective and demand-driven VGPPs.
The district-wide observance of the Maha Gram Sabha/Reform Utsav reflects the commitment of the Rural Development Department, Reasi towards “planning by the people, for the people”, by placing local communities at the centre of development planning. The initiative also highlighted the increasing integration of participatory governance, transparency, digital documentation and AI-enabled tools in the functioning of Panchayati Raj Institutions.
The observance further reinforced the importance of effective convergence of Government schemes and demand-driven identification of permissible activities under VB-G RAM G, ensuring that Panchayat development plans remain responsive to local requirements and aligned with the aspirations of rural communities.
The successful conduct of the Maha Gram Sabha/Reform Utsav across all 153 Gram Panchayats of District Reasi, supported by vigilant block-level supervision, field visits by senior officers and district-wide digital monitoring, marked an important step towards strengthening grassroots democracy, accountable governance, participatory planning and technology-enabled rural development.
