Gram panchayats win by working on health and disability

The identity of local governance bodies grows when they engage in initiatives to bridge the last-mile gap for health and disability rights.The most excluded person can be the hardest to reach.As part of the UN’s global mandate under the Pact for the Future 2024, India has committed to bridging this last-mile gap to leave no one behind..

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Sightsavers India and Anode Governance Lab recently conducted a pilot project focused on eye health and inclusion, emphasizing local governance as a programming principle. The project proved that gram panchayats (GPs) are well placed and suited to localize Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). When 30 GPs in three districts of Kasganj, Uttar Pradesh, led efforts to address blindness in the village.

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PRIs की स्वास्थ्य और विकलांगता में कानूनी भूमिका

A substantial portion of resources for the development of panchayats is provided by the Union Government through various schemes. Centrally Sponsored Schemes (CSSs) such as Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA), and Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Gramin (PMAYG) envisage the role and responsibility of panchayats. Most GPs focus on addressing a village’s legitimate needs of infrastructure and livelihoods, for which they receive funds under these schemes. These are important areas of work and bring tangible and visible results, crucial for an elected body.

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For the longest time though, these services have been the domain of government departments. They are overseen by parallel structures set up by the respective departments, with the token presence of a panchayat member. For increased decentralisation, GPs should take on the assessment and evaluation of health, education, and disability-inclusion programmes and schemes run by the government in their geography and jurisdiction. An optimal GP could go even further and aggregate the needs of the community and create demand-based plans.

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