A.P. gram sabha needs restructuring

By R.J.Rajendra Prasad

HYDERABAD, JAN. 8. The 14th round of Janmabhoomi programme has concluded in Andhra Pradesh with about one lakh fresh LPG connections given to members of DWCRA groups and around 92,000 old and destitutes getting rice coupons which will enable them to draw 10 kgs of free rice every month under the newly announced ``annapurna'' scheme.

Opposition protests at alleged Government failure to ensure minimum support price to farmers failed to make an impact. However, there appeared to be a need to restructure the gram sabha, as only 150 to 200 persons in a village of around 1,500 participated with about half of them having come to receive pensions meant for the aged, widows and the physically handicapped, disbursed during the Janmabhoomi.

Around 20 officers at the mandal level (covering a cluster of about 15 to 20 villages) attended each of these gram sabhas and answered questions.

The gram sabhas would serve their purpose if the level of public participation increased.

The agenda for the meetings were also too big. Every gram sabha began with the Chief Minister, Mr. N. Chandrababu Naidu's message being read out, which took about 10 minutes. Then, the Mandal Development Officer read an ``action taken report'' on the works approved in earlier Janmabhoomi programmes. People raised questions about the slow progress and quality of the work, and in several villages, the MDO was persuaded to inspect the works along with the villagers to check if the complaints were true. Then, the Headmaster presented a report on the number of children attending the local school and a survey of children, out of school.

At Chandupatla village in Nalgonda district, the agenda consisted of 23 items covering agriculture, medical, education, women and child welfare. The sarpanch and the local party activists dominated the discussions and if the local MLA was present, he conducted the whole show.

The programme was by and large popular because of the the importance of the gram sabha and its powers to approve a proposal for laying a new road, school or hospital and have the work completed in three months before the beginning of the next phase. Earlier, the Government gave 70 per cent of the cost of a project if there was a local donor willing to donate 30 per cent, but now the norms were revised, and a local donor was required to give 50 per cent of the cost to be eligible to receive a grant.

The criticism was: contractors inflated the cost of a road by 50 per cent, laid the road with Government grant, and still made a profit. The Government has released Rs. 70 crores for community works in this round of Janmabhoomi.

Opposition protests during the programme were related to the farmers' plight of having a bumper crop on hand in the face of falling prices for agricultural produce. The Government's arm- twisting measures to force the Centre to relax norms for the purchase of paddy at the minimum support price was criticised with the Congress and the Left calling it ``a mere eyewash.''

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Section  : Southern States
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