One-Day Training on development planning for the Grama sabha panchayat development planning committee (GPDP) was held in Tiruvallur on 9 January 2019. A total of thirty-one participants attended (14 women, 11 men), four from HRF and two from HRDF. The resource person was Mr Thiagarajan from SIRD.

As per the Tamil Nadu Panchayat Raj Act 1994 (TNPA), the main objective of local government is to develop the village which means to ensure no poverty in the village. Article 243G of the Constitution of India envisages that the department should help the panchayat in self-governance. Article 243G(a) clearly indicates that the plan is for economic development and social justice. Nearly two lakh and twenty-five thousand crores have to be spent by local governments in India for the next five years according to the award given under the fourteenth finance commission.

So every village should have its own development plan. The plan should be inclusive with people’s participation and also with the participation of the officers from various departments linked with the village development. The Village Development Plans (VDP) should also be based on the SDGs.

1.      The participants said that they will organize this type of meetings in their panchayat and invited HRF to lead the training.