World Bank satisfied with Gram Panchayat performance

Kolkata: The World Bank has expressed satisfaction over the performance of the Gram Panchayats to implement the West Bengal Institutional Strengthening of Gram Panchayat scheme.

The World Bank has given a soft loan of Rs 2,000 crore in this regard. The state government will not have to pay any interest and only a service charge will be levied. The loan was granted on April 1, 2017 and it is valid till December 2022.

In March, a team comprising senior World Bank officials visited several Gram Panchayats and they had expressed satisfaction over their performance. The Panchayats that have received praise were found taking decisions after taking the opinion of its members.

The Panchayats are also maintaining accounts. The Panchayat members were given training on the management of accounts.

It may be recalled that Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had addressed the two-day Panchayat conference on February 3 and 4 at Netaji Indoor Stadium, where she had urged the Panchayats to make plans for beautifying the areas within their jurisdiction.

She had announced that the Panchayat whose performance will be judged as being the best, will be awarded, while those that will fail will be pulled up.

The World Bank has found that Maheshtala has performed the best and the Panchayat will get a reward of Rs 58.72 lakh. Whereas, Rajabhatkhawoa Gram Panchayat in Alipurduar district will get Rs 54.47 lakh.

Athorakhai Gram Panchayat in Siliguri district will get Rs 50 lakh. Samsi Gram Panchayat in Malda district will be Rs 48.60 lakh, while Kadambagachi Gram Panchayat in North 24-Parganas will get Rs 48.30 lakh.

Subrata Mukherjee, minister for Panchayat and Rural Development, said the move will boost up the Gram Panchayats, helping them to perform better in future.

It may be mentioned that after coming to power in 2011, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had given emphasis on the development of rural infrastructure, which included road connectivity, drinking water and electricity. Over the years, the condition of the villages has improved.