Congress promises to strengthen Panchayati Raj system

Bhubaneswar: Claiming that Odisha and its people suffered a lot due to corruption, misrule and inefficiency in last 16 years, the Odisha unit of Congress on Friday vowed to strive towards empowering the Panchayati Raj system and developing villages.

While releasing the party’s program paper for the ensuing Panchayat polls, the party said it was the only alternative in the state that can empower the Panchayati Raj system.

“Miseries of people, mainly villages, grew manifold during the 16 years of BJD rule. BJP is equally responsible for this as it shared power with BJD for 9 years,” Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee President Prasad Harichandan said.

Harichandan said though Congress is not in power in the state, the party is committed to build a self-reliant Odisha by truly strengthening the Panchayati Raj system and making it corruption free.

In order to ensure progress and prosperity of people in villages, Congress manifesto focuses on rural development, social security, empowerment of panchayati raj institutions, growth of agriculture and farmers and progress of scheduled castes and scheduled tribes, he said.

He said all villages would have all weather pucca roads, drinking water facilities and electricity supply, while anganwadi centre, school building and health centre would be set up in villages having more than 500 population.

Every panchayat would have entrepreneurship development centre, agro service centre and mandi, while IT kiosk would be set up in every village, Harichandan said.