New Delhi, April 24: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and NAC Chairperson Sonia Gandhi today emphasised the need to strengthen Gram Sabhas for effective participation of people in governance.
Addressing a function on National Panchayat Diwas here, Singh said the government was considering increasing the capacity of Panchayats so that they can discharge their responsibilities effectively.
Noting that timely elections to Panchayats were necessary for their effective functioning, the Prime Minister said the 70 to 80 per cent turnout in the Panchayat elections in Jammu and Kashmir and Jharkhand a few days back “reflects that people now want to decide their future themselves”.
The Prime Minister said that though the idea of self-governance has got legal acceptance, there is still a “long way to go for bringing decentralisation”.
-Agencies