SRINAGAR: The Department of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj (RD&PR) on Thursday organised Special Gram Sabhas across all 4,291 Panchayats in Jammu and Kashmir, focusing on participatory planning, social accountability, women and child protection, sanitation and prevention of drug abuse.
The Gram Sabhas were held as part of Gandhi Jayanti and Reform Utsav 2026, bringing together Panchayat representatives, government officials, women, youth and residents to deliberate on local development priorities.
Deputy Commissioners and senior officers participated in the proceedings at various locations, interacting with residents and Panchayat functionaries on issues concerning rural development and delivery of public services.
Director Rural Development, Kashmir, Riyaz Ahmad Wani, participated in the Gram Sabha at Panchayat Choon in Budgam, where he stressed the role of Gram Sabhas in ensuring people’s participation in local governance.
“Development planning cannot be confined to offices. It must begin in the Gram Sabha, where citizens identify their needs, discuss priorities and collectively decide the future course of their Panchayat,” Wani said.
He said Panchayat Development Plans should emerge from consultations with local residents and reflect the needs of different sections, including women, children, senior citizens, persons with disabilities, Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and other vulnerable groups.
Wani also said the Special Gram Sabhas should serve as platforms for social accountability and responsive governance rather than being treated as formal meetings.
Discussions during the Gram Sabhas also focused on the Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyan, with participants deliberating on the role of Panchayats, families, schools, youth groups and community institutions in preventing substance abuse.
The gatherings also took up sanitation and waste management, particularly in the backdrop of the culmination of Swachhata Hi Seva 2026 on Gandhi Jayanti. Participants discussed waste segregation at source, scientific disposal and the community-level implementation of the Solid Waste Management Rules, 2026.
Residents raised issues related to drinking water, sanitation, roads, education, healthcare, social welfare, livelihoods and environmental conservation. They were also given an opportunity to place grievances and suggest works for inclusion in Panchayat Development Plans.
The participation of line departments enabled residents to seek information about government schemes, eligibility criteria and available services, while officials discussed convergence of departmental programmes to address local requirements.
Additional Secretary RD&PR Wasim Raja visited Panchayat Drudhu in Bhaderwah and interacted with residents, Panchayat representatives and officials of line departments.
In Ganderbal, Joint Director Rural Development Mantasha Rashid also visited a Panchayat and interacted with members of the local community.
Senior officers and RD&PR teams visited Panchayats across Jammu and Kashmir to oversee the proceedings and ensure that the concerns and development priorities raised by residents were recorded for consideration in the Panchayat Development Plans.
