State Level Consultation Workshop on Capacity Building and Training of Panchayati Raj Functionaries in Jammu and Kashmir

PRIA supported the Institute of Management, Public Administration and Rural Development (IMPA) and Department of Panchayat & Rural Development, Government of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) in organising a two-day state level consultation workshop on capacity building and training of panchayati raj functionaries of the state.

The consultation was attended by Ali Mohammad Sagar, Minister for Rural Development, Panchayati Raj, Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs; Madhav Lal, Chief Secretary of J&K; Dr Pawan Kotwal, Director General, IMPA; Farooq Ahmed Peer, Commissioner-Secretary, Rural Development; Dr P.P. Balan, Director, KILA; Satinder Singh Sahni, Former Principal Resident Commissioner, J&K; Manoj Rai, Director, PRIA, other senior officials, elected representatives and representatives of civil society organizations.

In his presiding address, Ali Mohammad Sagar stressed the need for proper coordination among panchayat functionaries and government departments. Functions and functionaries for 14 departments have been devolved and necessary orders have already been conveyed for ground level implementation of the same. He also stressed the need for capacity building and training of panchayat functionaries so that they can effectively contribute to the success of panchayati raj, ensure that various flagship schemes are implemented properly and plans for their respective areas are conceived with active citizen participation.

In his keynote address, Chief Secretary Madhav Lal said that rigorous and sincere efforts have been made for the devolution of 14 departments to panchayats. He further added that such workshops prove to be a catalyst to move forward in strengthening panchayati raj in the state. He stressed the need of empowering panchayats to make the development process truly participatory.

Director General IMPA, Dr Pawan Kotwal, while giving a detailed account of capacity building of panchayati raj institutions said that 400 departmental resource persons have been imparted the necessary training to act as master trainers for the rest of the state. Various exposure tours to several panchayats in other states of India have been organized in order to acquaint them with the functioning of panchayats and the positive difference panchayats are making in these areas.

Manoj Rai, Director, PRIA shared the schedule of the consultation workshop and expectations from the workshop, and presented PRIA’s engagement with the government on strengthening panchayati raj in the state.

The workshop began with a presentation by Dr P.P. Balan on the experiences of Kerala and by Dr Anshuman Karol of PRIA on the initiatives taken by the states of Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh. This was followed by a presentation by Dr Shahnawaz Alam, Director, IMPA on the initiatives taken by IMPA for training of panchayat functionaries in the state. The presentations were followed by open discussion.

On the second day of the workshop, participants were divided into three groups to discuss issues related to:
1. What types of capacities are needed at panchayat level? 
2. What should be the content and methods of capacity building and training? 
3. What challenges were faced during delivery of the basic foundation course?

There was active participation in the group exercises. The participants highlighted many issues that hinder capacity building and training of panchayat functionaries in the state. They also gave suggestions on how to improve the content and modes of delivery of the training to make it more effective. The consultation concluded with a vote of thanks by Dr Shahnawaz Alam with the hope that the present consultation would help in strengthening panchayati raj in the state in the coming years.