Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Monday said till the Panchayat elections are not held in the state, village-level Committees would be constituted to play an important role in the implementation of development works.

Work will be done in the village only in consultation with these Committees.  Due to this, development work in the village will also not be affected and the demands of public representatives will also be heard. Along with this, the meetings of Gram Sabha will also be organised regularly, Khattar said while speaking during the pre-budget discussion with the representatives and officials associated with rural development and Panchayati Raj institutions held on Monday.

The CM said officers and public representatives should work together for the development of rural areas so that it brings better results.  “Every penny should be used for the public.  The public is first of all connected with the lower level unit of the system, which is the Gram Panchayat hence strengthening this unit is the utmost priority of the state government.  In this new budget, we need to make a new resolution,” he said.

The CM said the Gram Darshan Portal, Vikas Nidhi Portal of each village has been created for ensuring rural development.  Through the Gram Darshan Portal, every villager can share their problems related to their village with the government. “Today, Gram Panchayats can increase their income by charging different fees such as rent for petrol pumps, mobile towers and Panchayat land,” he added.

During the meeting, on the suggestion given by the executive officers of the Zila Parishad who came from various districts, the CM said there is a need to conduct a social audit and pre-audit in the works of Panchayati Raj.
Khattar also stressed upon setting up of Melas and sale counters at the district level to market the products prepared by the self help groups at the village level.  He also directed for setting up of certification labs for such products.

The CM said under Haryana Rural Development Authority (HRDA), residential areas would be developed for the development of villages.  “These would include facilities like electricity, water, sewerage, roads, etc.  This will provide better basic facilities to the people and the sources of income will also increase in the villages.  The Chief Minister also stressed the construction of Zila Parishad buildings for Panchayati Raj Institutions in every district,” he said.