Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, July 4: Senior Congress leader and DDC Member Suchetgarh, Taranjit Singh Tony, today chaired a meeting to review the CAPEX PRI Plan for the financial year 2025-26 at the office of the Block Development Officer (BDO) Chakroi in Suchetgarh.
The meeting was attended by BDO Suchetgarh, Shailender Pakhroo, all Gram Sevaks, and PRI representatives from the area.
During the review, Tony emphasized the need to modernize governance at the grassroots level by connecting all Panchayat Ghars with CCTV cameras and linking them directly to the BDO office in Suchetgarh. He asserted that such digital integration would not only ensure transparency but also facilitate virtual Gram Sabha meetings, thereby speeding up developmental works.
Tony came down heavily on the bureaucratic establishment for arbitrary deductions of over 60 per cent from Panchayat funds, as well as significant cuts in BDC and DDC allocations. Calling it “undemocratic and illegal,” he questioned the rationale behind such deductions when the Government of India is consistently sending development funds to the Union Territory.
“Why are bureaucrats acting as stumbling blocks to rural development?” Tony asked, adding that rather than promoting savings or ensuring judicious expenditure, the concerned departments seem “hell-bent on slashing development allocations,” effectively backstabbing the entire Panchayati Raj Institution (PRI) system.
The senior Congress leader urged the Commissioner/Secretary of the Rural Development Department and the concerned Minister to immediately release the deducted funds so that the limping development activities can regain momentum and be completed in full swing.
It is pertinent to mention here that Suchetgarh has seen development worth Rs 900 crore under the tenure and leadership of Tony. This includes the highest number of NABARD projects, a horticulture nursery worth Rs 250 crore, roads and bridges valued at Rs 100 crore, and the four-laning of the RS Pura to Suchetgarh border road-reflecting the overall transformation of the Suchetgarh constituency.
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