Hyderabad: The Telangana govt has set a target of generating 12 crore workdays under the VBG Ram-G scheme during the current financial year, with the aim of providing employment to five lakh workers every day between July and March.To achieve this, the Panchayat Raj department will conduct a three-day training programme from July 8 for sarpanches, panchayat secretaries, engineers and other officials. The training will focus on the scheme’s new guidelines, planning and fund utilisation.Reviewing the implementation of the programme through a video conference on Tuesday, Panchayat Raj minister D Anasuya (Seethakka) directed officials to ensure that every gram panchayat generates at least 1,000 workdays every month. She said village development plans should be prepared based on local needs.The minister said the training programme should cover the Gram Panchayat Comprehensive Development Plan (GP SAP), inter-departmental coordination, priority-based selection of works, utilisation of 16th Finance Commission funds and implementation procedures under the VBG Ram-G scheme.She said the govt has approved a budget of Rs 6,311 crore for VBG Ram-G in the current financial year to support the target of creating 12 crore workdays between July and March.Calling the training programme an opportunity to strengthen gram panchayats rather than a routine exercise, Seethakka directed officials to ensure that district-level training is conducted to the same standards as the state-level training for master resource persons.She also stressed that 16th Finance Commission funds must be utilised strictly in accordance with the prescribed guidelines and warned officials against any irregularities in spending.The minister further instructed gram panchayats to increase their own-source revenue and prepare plans to improve financial self-reliance.Warning against absenteeism, Seethakka said officials who remain absent from the training without valid reasons will face departmental action.
