Bhubaneswar: A three-day National Workshop on “Localization of Sustainable Development Goals (LSDGs) in Gram Panchayats Through Adopting Thematic Approaches” by Ministry of Panchayati Raj, Government of India in collaboration with the Panchayati Raj & Drinking Water Department, Government of Odisha kicked off today at KIIT Auditorium, Bhubaneswar.
Dharmendra Pradhan, Minister of Education and Skill Development & Entrepreneurship, Government of India said that Odisha is the holy land of Lord Jagannath and a proud State to respect woman leadership and practise democracy since ancient era. It would not have been possible to control COVID-19, had PRI leadership particularly women leadership was not there at the grass root level.
Speaking on the occasion Union Minister of State Kapil Moreshwar Patil, Panchayati Raj, Government of India said that PRI members play a key role to achieve the goals of SDGs at the grass root level as they are real executors of schemes and programmes of the Government. Development of the country mainly depends on the empowerment of the villages, he added.
Pradip Kumar Amat, Minister, Panchayati Raj & Drinking Water, Forest & Environment & Climate Change and Information and Public Relations, Govt. of Odisha stated that earlier Legendary Biju Patnaik had taken a historical step for the empowerment of women in Odisha by reserving 33% seat for women in the Panchayati Raj institutes and Urban Local bodies. Furthering peoples’ Chief Minister Shri Naveen Patnaik extended the reservation to 50%, which has revolutionised the empowerment of women in the State. Further, through Mission Shakti lakhs of women in the State are being economically empowered setting an example for other states in the country.
Speaking on the occasion, Basanti Hembram, Minister of State (Independent Charge), Women & Child Development and Mission Shakti, Government of Odisha expressed that PRI representatives, government officials and general public are the three key stakeholders of LSDGs in grass root levels and interpersonal cooperation and coordination in between them is highly required for successful implementation of the LSDGs by 2030. Under the dynamic leadership of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik 70 lakhs women of Odisha have been empowered through Mission Shakti, she added.
Suresh Chandra Mohapatra, Chief Secretary, Government of Odisha noted that Odisha is one of the pioneer states in the country in women empowerment and development. Fund is not a constraint for development of ‘Child and Women Friendly Panchayats’. He also said that there was 50% reservation for women in the Panchayat election in Odisha, whereas 56% of total Sarpanchs are women.
At the outset, Sushil Kumar Lohani, Principal Secretary, Panchayati Raj & Drinking Water Department, Government of Odisha welcomed the dignitaries, delegates, PRI representatives and domain experts from across the country to this National Workshop and elaborated about the importance of LSDGs in Gram Panchayats.
Digital books on “Roadmap for LSDGs through PRIs in Odisha”, “Vision Document on Child and Women Friendly Panchayats” and Coffee Table Book on “Empowering Rural Community creating opportunities through PRIs” were launched in the workshop.
Dr. C S Kumar, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Panchayati Raj, Government of India emphasized on the importance of convergence between Centre and State to achieve the goals of SDGs by 2030.
Ms. Cynthia McCaffrey Representative, UNICEF, India Country Office praised the Central and State Government for taking adequate steps on women empowerment and child development.
Smt. Guha Poonam Tapas Kumar, CEO, ORMAS, PR & DW, Government of Odisha offered the vote of thanks.
After an overwhelming inaugural session, two panel discussions were also held on this first day of the event. The first panel discussion on “Child Friendly Village: Safe and Protected Environment for Children and equitable access to all essential social services” was chaired by Smt. Shubha Sharma, Commissioner-cum-Secretary, Department of W&CD, Government of Odisha. Second panel discussion was held on the topic Women Friendly Village chaired by Smt. Guha Poonam Tapas Kumar, CEO, ORMAS, PR&DW, Government of Odisha.
Among others, experts from the Ministry, NGOs, Domain Experts and GPs also joined the respective panel discussions. Many inspiring short and documentary movies relating to the theme i.e. Child and Women Friendly Panchayat of LSDGs were also showcased by different States and domain experts.