Hyderabad, May 1 (IANS) Panchayati Raj Secretary Vivek Bharadwaj will on Saturday begin discussions here on Atmanirbhar Panchayat Programme, a forward-looking initiative of the Ministry of Panchayati Raj under the Rashtriya Gram Swaraj Abhiyan (RGSA), an official said on Friday.

“The Secretary will introduce participants of a workshop to the vision, objectives and operational framework of the Atmanirbhar Panchayat Programme at National Institute of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj (NIRD&PR) at Rajendra Nagar,” an official statement said.

The outreach workshop will be inaugurated by Bharadwaj in the presence of Mukta Shekhar, Panchayati Raj Ministry’s Joint Secretary; M. Dana Kishore, Telangana Special Chief Secretary of Panchayati Raj and Rural Development Department, other senior officers of the state government, faculty members of NIRD&PR, senior officers of Housing and Urban Development Corporation Limited (HUDCO) and National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) and Panchayat representatives and functionaries from across Telangana.

“In his address, Bharadwaj is expected to outline the vision of the Atmanirbhar Panchayat Programme, followed by a detailed presentation on the national policy objectives, technical roadmap and expected outcomes,” the statement said.

A live, end-to-end demonstration of the Atmanirbhar Panchayat Portal will walk participants through the application workflow and digital dashboards, making the process accessible and transparent for Panchayats at every level

An interactive Question and Answer session will provide all stakeholders a valuable opportunity to engage directly with the Ministry and gain clarity on participation, the statement added.

The state of Telangana will also articulate its commitment and priorities under the Programme, setting a tone of active partnership between the Centre and the state.

Public sector organisations like HUDCO and NABARD are supporting the programme with their expertise in rural project development and possible financial support.

The Atmanirbhar Panchayat Programme is designed to support eligible Gram Panchayats and Block Panchayats in developing and implementing financially viable, bankable projects that strengthen their own sources of revenue, the statement said.

Through a transparent national challenge process, selected proposals from panchayats will receive dedicated technical assistance from project development to financial closure, with support spanning Public-Private Partnerships, CSR funding, bank finance and convergence with other government schemes.

Community participation in planning will be ensured through mandatory consent by the Gram Sabhas.

Ideas will come from the Panchayats and the technical assistance will develop the winning ideas into bankable projects.

Over its four-year implementation period, the Programme aspires to build a new generation of self-reliant, economically confident Panchayats, each a living demonstration that financial independence and good local governance go hand in hand, the statement added.

–IANS

rch/khz