Panchayats should act as local government

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: In order to achieve grama swaraj, grama panchayats must be given powers which enable them to act as local government, P Gopinathan Nair, all-India chairman of the Gandhi Smarak Nidhi, has said. “People think that the function of the grama sabha is to provide incentives, but the people must realise that Parliament is a grama sabha,” he opined. Gopinathan Nair was inaugurating a training programme for people’s representatives from Poovar, Vizhinjam and Venganoor areas the other day. The training programme, meant to strengthen the Panchayati Raj system, was held at Chappath Santhigram. Anto Marcelin, president, Poovar panchayat, presided over the function. Classes were led by G Shankar (chairman, Habitat Technology Group), Ammukutty George (president, Kazhakkumkara Mahila Samajam) and R K Sundaram (chairman, Santhigram). In the coming days, Prof T S N Pillai (chairman, Board of Social Work, University of Kerala), Dr Aby George (assistant professor, KILA) and P K Kunjiraman (member, Juvenile Justice Board), among others, will lead the classes.