Srinagar, Jun 23 (KNS): Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Tuesday said Panchayati Raj Institutions should evolve into centres of innovation, digital governance and public participation, asserting that empowered local bodies are key to achieving the goal of a developed India.
Addressing a regional workshop on Panchayat-led service delivery at SKICC here, Sinha said strengthening grassroots governance remained a priority and highlighted steps taken to enhance the role of local self-government institutions in Jammu and Kashmir.
He said the Union Territory has witnessed major changes in governance through the transfer of funds, functions and functionaries to Panchayats, enabling elected representatives to play a greater role in development planning.
Sinha said district plans are now prepared in consultation with local representatives and development works are being implemented based on priorities identified at the grassroots level.
Referring to administrative reforms, the lieutenant governor said Jammu and Kashmir has moved from a file-based system to digital governance over the past few years.
"When I arrived in Jammu and Kashmir in 2020, government files were being transported between Srinagar and Jammu under the Darbar Move arrangement. The administration later accelerated digitisation and shifted services online," he said.
Sinha said technology has helped make governance more transparent and accessible, while citizen outreach programmes have strengthened interaction between the administration and the public.
Highlighting the expansion of digital infrastructure, he said over 15,000 Common Service Centres are functioning across Jammu and Kashmir.
According to him, 4,211 of the Union Territory's 4,290 Panchayats have been connected through digital networks, accounting for around 98 per cent coverage.
The remaining Panchayats are located in remote and border areas, where connectivity work is being carried out under the Centre's Vibrant Villages Programme, he said.
Sinha said rural development and national development are closely linked and stressed the need for greater public participation and accountability in governance.
He also called for the creation of Village Innovation Labs in Panchayats to encourage local solutions to community-level challenges and provide opportunities for youth, farmers, educational institutions and social organisations to contribute to development initiatives.
The lieutenant governor said successful governance models adopted in one region should be shared and replicated elsewhere to improve service delivery and strengthen local governance across the country. (KNS).