Agartala, May 03: All panchayats across Tripura were officially declared as “Divyangjan-friendly” panchayats on Saturday, marking a significant step toward inclusivity and accessibility.
The announcement was made by Chief Minister Dr Manik Saha in the state-level event of National Panchayat Raj Day at A.D. Nagar, Agartala.
The event was attended by Panchayat Secretary Abhishek Singh, Sabhadhipatis of all eight Zilla Parishads, and Prof. Nalini Prabha Tripathi, Director of the Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Shillong.
In his welcome speech, the Secretary emphasized the importance of Panchayati Raj Day and highlighted the state’s achievements in rural governance over the past years.
A MoU between the Panchayat Department and IIM Shillong was signed for advanced training initiatives, a move praised by the IIM Shillong director for its forward-thinking approach.
Aound 800 representatives and staff from districts, blocks, and panchayats attended the event.
To encourage excellence, awards were presented to the top three RD (Rural Development) blocks: Rajnagar, Hejamara, and Amarpur, as well as to the best three panchayats — Purba Tamakari Village Committee (Hejamara RD Block), Mare Haduk Village Committee (Padmabil RD Block), and Paschim Dalak Gram Panchayat (Amarpur RD Block).
Additional awards recognized achievements in climate action, self-reliance, individual official contributions, and e-governance, with West Majlishpur Gram Panchayat (Jirania RD Block) securing the e-governance prize.
The Chief Minister also inaugurated several key initiatives, including the launch of the State Panchayat Resource Centre’s smart office, the department’s new monthly magazine Grameen Srijan, and its annual report.
Commending the Panchayat department’s performance, the Chief Minister highlighted progress in areas such as Panchayat Learning Centres, e-office systems, online transactions, and ISO-standard upgrades.
He urged everyone involved in the panchayat system to prepare detailed plans for advancing rural governance further in the coming years.
"Panchayat Raj is an important pillar of rural governance," the Chief Minister said, highlighting it's direct connection with the people.
The Chief Minister said, in the past two years, 44 new Panchayat bhavans, four District Panchayat Resource Centres and eight Panchayat Learning Centres have been established while an initiative has been taken for ISO-standard upgrade of 25 institutions including 15 panchayats.