Funds, Functions and Functionaries must be devolved to empower rural local bodies for their holistic growth and to achieve national development and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the vice president M Venkaiah Naidu said today in the capital today.

Inaugurating National Stakeholders Conference on ‘Localization of Sustainable Development Goals’ organized by the Ministry of Panchayati Raj, he urged the Union Government and various States to facilitate the devolution of the 3Fs from Zilla Parishads to Panchayats. The rural local bodies have to be revitalized and rejuvenated by strengthening and empowering them, he added.

While referring to the increase in fund allocation to the rural local bodies from Rs.100 per capita per annum in the 10th Finance Commission to Rs.674 per capita per annum in the 15th Finance Commission, the Vice President said the funds should directly go into their accounts and there should be no diversion, dilution and deviation. Similarly, every grant meant for people should directly go to the beneficiaries.

Naidu said that given that nearly 70% of India is rural India, attainment of Sustainable Development Goals at the national level will require actions at the grassroots of villages—that is at the Panchayat level.

Observing that the biggest goal is to make the country poverty-free, he said the other equally important missions include providing education to all boys and girls, ensuring delivery of critical services like safe drinking water and creating adequate employment opportunities.

Expressing his happiness that women constitute 46 percent of the 31.65 lakh elected representatives of the rural local bodies in the country, he said that adequate representation should be given in legislatures and other law-making bodies.” “Empowering women is empowering the society”, he added.

Calling for people’s participation in all the schemes and programs at the grass-root level, the Vice President stressed the need for concerted efforts from all stakeholders to ensure comprehensive development of the Panchayats and achieve various targets.

Panchayats, Shri Naidu said, have a pivotal role to play in integrated rural development by focusing on the 17 SDGs which are subsumed under nine themes to ensure poverty-free, clean, healthy, child-friendly, and socially secured well-governed villages.

Addressing the conference, Union Panchayati Raj Minister Giriraj Singh said that the country’s development is not possible without development of Panchayats. He emphasized that there should be a master plan for all Panchayats and it should be prepared using the latest technology. Speaking about the importance of transparency and accountability in Panchayats, the Minister informed about the e-gram Swaraj app developed for planning, budgeting and accounting of Panchayats. He also requested all the stakeholders to join hands for achieving SDG goals and making Panchayats sustainable.

Speaking about the importance of open defecation free India, Union Jal Shakti Minister Shri Gajendra Singh Shekhawat said that under the leadership of the Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India has achieved open defecation free status in 2019, eleven years ahead of its actual timeline in 2030.  The Minister also said that the Ministry is aiming to provide clean drinking water to each household in the country by 2024.

Giriraj Singh, Minister of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj,  Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, Minister of Jal Sakti, Faggan Singh Kulaste, Minister of State for Rural Development,  Kapil Moreshwar Patil, Minister of State, Panchayati Raj,  Sunil Kumar, Secretary, Ministry of Panchayati Raj and other dignitaries were present.