Gandhinagar, June 9 (IANS) Gujarat has set an ambitious target to extend the concept of ‘Atmanirbhar’ (self-reliant) panchayats to all its more than 14,000 local bodies, with state and Union government officials calling for greater efforts to generate independent revenue sources and reduce dependence on government grants.

The vision was outlined at a one-day state-level outreach workshop on the Centre’s ‘Atmanirbhar Panchayat’ Programme held in Gandhinagar on Tuesday, where officials from the Ministry of Panchayati Raj, the Gujarat government, NABARD and HUDCO discussed strategies to strengthen the financial sustainability of rural local governments.

Addressing the gathering, Secretary of the Ministry of Panchayati Raj, Vivek Bharadwaj, said the next phase of India’s self-reliance journey must be driven at the grassroots level through financially empowered panchayats capable of creating their own sources of income.

“Panchayats must now work towards becoming self-reliant by creating revenue-generating opportunities through various local projects and initiatives. The Ministry of Panchayati Raj will provide technical guidance to help implement such projects,” Bharadwaj said.

He added that the programme aims to make panchayats “financially self-sufficient, innovative, and development-oriented”.

Recalling India’s progress since independence, Bharadwaj said the country had overcome the challenges of Partition, wars, droughts, and food shortages that had once made it dependent on foreign assistance.

He noted that India eventually moved towards self-sufficiency and, by 2003, had largely stopped accepting foreign aid, while also waiving the debts of some African nations.

Referring to the COVID-19 pandemic, he said India had not only met domestic requirements but had supplied vaccines to nearly 96 countries under the ‘Vaccine Maitri’ initiative.

“To carry forward the vision of Atmanirbhar Bharat, Panchayats must now become self-reliant by launching local projects and initiatives,” he said.

Bharadwaj urged local bodies to identify and utilise their unique resources and geographical advantages.

Citing examples such as the Indian Standard Time Line, the Tropic of Cancer, coastal regions and the Statue of Unity, he said innovative planning could create substantial employment and revenue opportunities through tourism and related economic activities.

“In this way, Panchayats can become self-reliant and prosperous based on their own resources rather than depending solely on government grants,” he said, noting that several gram and block panchayats across the country were already generating significant revenue through such initiatives.

Principal Secretary of Gujarat’s Panchayat Department, Dhananjay Dwivedi, said the selection of 71 panchayats from the state under the Ministry’s Atmanirbhar Panchayat Programme was a matter of pride, but stressed that the state should not restrict its ambitions to those villages alone.

“It is a matter of pride that 71 Panchayats from Gujarat have been selected as ‘Atmanirbhar Panchayats’ under the Ministry of Panchayati Raj’s programme. However, Gujarat should not limit itself to these 71 Panchayats,” Dwivedi said.

He further added, “Under the guidance of Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, joint efforts must be made to transform all 14,000-plus Panchayats in the state into Atmanirbhar Panchayats.”

Dwivedi said the vision of “Atmanirbhar Bharat 2047” could not be achieved solely through the efforts of the Union and state governments.

“District, Taluka, and Gram Panchayats must participate in this mission with equal enthusiasm and energy,” he said.

Describing panchayats as “vibrant institutions of democracy”, he said they played a role far beyond administration and service delivery.

“Leadership nurtured at the village level progresses to the state and national levels and contributes significantly to nation-building,” he said.

He also emphasised the need to improve rural living standards. “Today’s rural citizens have high aspirations and expectations, and they seek the same quality of life and amenities that are available in developed cities such as Ahmedabad,” he said.

Dwivedi drew a distinction between administration and leadership, stating: “Working only within the limits of government grants is the role of a manager, whereas stepping beyond those limitations and making a village self-reliant is the role of a leader.”

He noted that the initial phase of the programme selected panchayats based on criteria such as a gram panchayat income of Rs 50 lakh or a taluka panchayat income of Rs one crore, but said the concept should not remain confined to those thresholds.

“A Panchayat currently generating Rs 49 lakh or Rs 95 lakh can achieve the target with a little more effort,” he said, urging officials to spread the message of self-reliance across all panchayats in Gujarat.

Dwivedi added that the initiative should be viewed not merely as a government programme but as a long-term movement.

“After 20 years, when India marks its Amrit Kaal by completing 100 years of independence, every Sarpanch, Talati, and official should be able to proudly say that their village and region made a valuable contribution to nation-building,” he said.

Additional Development Commissioner Gaurav Dahiya said the programme had been launched to financially strengthen gram panchayats by increasing their own revenue and reducing their dependence on central and state government grants.

“The primary objective is to increase the Panchayats’ own revenue and reduce dependence on Central and State Government grants,” Dahiya said.

He said 71 gram panchayats in Gujarat had been selected in the first phase and that the long-term goal was to make all 14,650 gram panchayats in the state self-reliant.

Comparing the initiative with the functioning of urban local bodies, he said efforts were being made to strengthen budgeting and financial management systems in rural local governments.

“The programme will establish a new direction for rural development and play an important role in making local self-government institutions stronger, more accountable, and development-oriented,” he said.

NABARD Regional Manager Dr. Pradeep said the institution had consistently worked to strengthen rural infrastructure, agriculture and the rural economy.

He highlighted NABARD’s contributions to roads, markets, water facilities and other infrastructure, as well as initiatives supporting modern farming technologies, irrigation and water conservation.

To support the Atmanirbhar Panchayat initiative, he said NABARD had prepared development plans and detailed project reports to help panchayats establish sustainable income sources.

“Models such as rural haats, filtered drinking water facilities, storage and processing of agricultural produce, small-scale industries, warehouse construction, and commodity-based enterprises are being promoted to make Gram Panchayats self-reliant,” he said.

He further said, “Through such revenue-generating initiatives, Gram Panchayats can accelerate development activities using their own resources rather than depending solely on government grants and can establish a new model of holistic rural development.”

HUDCO official Vimal Kumar Sharma said the organisation would provide infrastructure support, technical expertise and financial planning assistance to gram panchayats seeking to become self-reliant.

“HUDCO is fully committed to supporting Gram Panchayats with infrastructure facilities, technical guidance, and financial planning required to make them self-reliant,” Sharma said.

He said the organisation would assist panchayats in designing revenue-generating projects, assessing technical feasibility, preparing project reports and obtaining funding from financial institutions.

HUDCO will also organise workshops and training programmes focused on technical, financial and project management aspects.

During the workshop, participants received detailed presentations on the programme’s vision, objectives, implementation roadmap and expected outcomes.

A live demonstration of the Atmanirbhar Panchayat Portal was conducted, followed by an interactive question-and-answer session.

The event was attended by the Ministry of Panchayati Raj Joint Secretary, Mukta Shekhar, ministry officials, District Development Officers, Taluka Development Officers, Talati-cum-Mantris, Sarpanches, and NABARD representatives.

The programme was conducted in a hybrid mode, with elected representatives and officials from gram and taluka panchayats across Gujarat joining through video conferencing.

–IANS

mys/dan