KOLKATA: In a first attempt to train and impart management skills to newly elected representatives of gram panchayats, the state panchayat department has signed up with the IIM-Kolkata and IIT-Kharagpur in areas such as management of government finances, time management, transparency, teamwork and office management.
An elaborate training such as this has never been organised for the newly elected office-bearers of the three-tier panchayat system, said an official of the state government.
Sources said the state government initiated the unique move after complaints of financial irregularities against the rural bodies that halted funds from the Centre for major rural development schemes.
Sabhadhipatis and their deputies of all 20 zilla parishads will undergo a four-day residential training at the IIM-Kolkata campus in Joka.
Similarly, Sabhapatis of 345 panchayat samitis will undergo a three-day residential training in seven batches with experts’ support from the Centre for Rural Development and Innovating and Sustainable Technology of the IIT-Kharagpur.
The training venue will be the BR Ambedkar Institute of Panchayat and Rural Development in Kalyani.
Training for the 3,25,341 elected representatives, including office-bearers of 3,300 odd gram panchayats will be imparted at the state, district and block levels by the Society for Training and Research on Panchayat and Rural Development, under the administrative control of panchayat department.
The training is said to be significant in the backdrop of the Centre’s decision to stop funds to Bengal under several rural development schemes alleging financial irregularities.
An official of the panchayat department said the findings of central teams revealed many gram panchayats did not follow norms while spending funds under 100 days’ job scheme which amounted to misappropriation.
“This is why training on financial prudence is important when many functionaries have been elected for the first time,” he said.