CHENNAI: The state government’s ‘Namma Ooru, Namma Arasu’ (our village, our government) initiative will take centre stage on Saturday as gram sabha meetings are held across the state to strengthen participatory governance and local development planning.
As part of the initiative, Chief Minister MK Stalin will address the gram sabhas through a video conference connecting at least 10,000 village panchayats -- marking the first such large-scale digital interaction between the government and rural communities.
After the speech, each gram sabha will select three immediate priority needs, which panchayat secretaries will record in the TNRD online portal by evening. District collectors will review the resolutions and ensure timely implementation, which will be monitored continuously by senior officials, including the chief secretary.
Speaking to reporters at the secretariat on Friday, Gagandeep Singh Bedi, additional chief secretary for Rural Development and Panchayat Raj, said the meetings will allow villagers to discuss and prioritise key local issues such as drinking water supply, expanding streetlight network, and waste management.
“Already, over 18,000 e-carts are being used to collect garbage from households in rural areas. Villagers can identify regions where waste management needs improvement,” Bedi said.
The gram sabhas will also take up preventive measures against dengue and other vector-borne diseases ahead of the northeast monsoon, awareness programmes to eliminate child labour, and plans under the Pradhan Mantri Adarsh Gram’Yojana for villages with over 50% SC/ST population. “Gram sabhas are the backbone of rural development, ensuring participatory governance and inclusive planning,” Bedi added.
Under the initiative, the government will also identify the poorest families in each panchayat to extend financial assistance through the National Rural Livelihood Mission, offering loans at interest rates between 0% and 4% to help them overcome poverty.