Gram Panchayats, one of the grassroot centres that nurture political leadership and village development will get a make over to turn into more productive and successful bodies.

Infusing the change model will be the National Institute of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj (NIRDPR), the Hyderabad-based Institute, which will lead the national initiative, launched in Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh on the occasion of Gandhi Jayanthi on Tuesday.

The NIRDPR will try to create clusters of developed Gram Panchayats. It will be based on a scientifically-made, professional plan to ensure sustainable development in these clusters through capacity building & participatory planning.

The Institute under the Ministry of Rural Development will implement the Action Research Project of Gram Panchayat Development Plan (GPDP). Under the GPDP (100+ Panchayat Cluster Development Programme for Sustainable Development), NIRDPR has identified 426 Gram Panchayat (GPs) in 100 clusters from 115 aspirational-cum-Mission Antyodaya districts in 19 States.

The implementation phase will be through partnerships between the Government, Non-Government, CSR, Philanthropists, Trusts and Academic institutes / organizations. The institute aims to create a ‘school of practices’ and follow the "hub and spoke" model in reaching 50, 000 Mission Antyodaya GPs over a period of 5 years, says, WR Reddy, Director General.

The NIRDPR has signed MoU’s with the Art of Living and the Foundation for Ecological Security to enable Panchayats in successful planning through this project. Another one with the VyaktiVikas Kendra India Trust for the Action Research Project, according to a statement from the Institute.

The major objectives of the initiative are to map existing resources and institutions of Gram Panchayats for strengthening capacity of functionaries through capacity building and handholding to ensure smooth orchestration between people, resource and institution. To develop income generating and village welfare related activities in and around cluster of Gram Panchayats. To infuse technology for planning, monitoring, implementation and sustainable development, and Improve the Governance at Panchayat level

The plan also envisages empanelling 200 Beacon leaders for mentoring Gram Panchayats, orienting Central, State, District and Block level functionaries on GP development, including different institutes for trainings and handholding on GP Development besides Project Monitoring Unit and other support.

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