MNREGA workers are Modern Panchayat Ghars & Common Service Centres to Transform Rural Punjab: Sond
Chandigarh, August 25: Punjab’s Rural Development and Panchayat Minister, Tarunpreet Singh Sond, said that modern Panchayat Ghars and Common Service Centres will script a new chapter in the development of Punjab villages. “In the first phase, the government is constructing 500 Panchayat Ghars and Common Service Centres across the state at a cost of Rs 125 crore. A few days ago, Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann launched this project from the holy land of Fatehgarh Sahib.
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Sond stated that every village with a population of more than 2,800 will have one Panchayat Ghar and one Common Service Centre. The cost of constructing a Panchayat Ghar will be Rs 20 lakh. A Common Service Centre will be built at Rs 5 lakh. He added that villages without Panchayat Ghars have been prioritized under this project. Expressing concern, he noted that although Panchayats are the strongest foundation of democracy, many lacked even basic infrastructure for meetings. The new Panchayat Ghars and service centres will address this gap.
The Minister said that these facilities will provide multiple services to villagers. A Panchayat Ghar will not merely be an office. It will serve as an important hub for deliberations. It will also be crucial for decision-making for rural development. He emphasized that Common Service Centres will act as the backbone of the digital revolution in villages. They will enable people to access online services easily.
Highlighting the importance of digital infrastructure, Sond said that in today’s era, services are available online. They include registration for government schemes, admissions to educational institutions, Aadhaar card, passport, and many others. Hence, these Common Service Centres will play a vital role in facilitating these services for rural citizens. He also expressed hope. He believes this initiative will provide Panchayats with an appropriate platform. They can come together and make collective decisions for the betterment of their villages.
