All 146 Janpad Panchayats in Chg now connected via video link

As part of Digital India initiative, all 146 Janpad Panchayats in Chhattisagrh were today connected through video conferencing network.
The network was inaugurated by Union Panchayati Raj and Rural Development Minister Narendra Singh Tomar and state Chief Minister Raman Singh at a programme held in Thakur Pyarelal State Panchayat and Rural Development Institute at Nimora village in Naya Raipur.
The janpad panchayats have been connected through video conferencing system with an aim to provide training to panchayat representatives in rural development sector.
This facility, to be available at janpad headquarters, will help in training of 14,000 people at one go.

Addressing the panchayati raj representatives sitting in 20 separate places through video conferencing, the union minister termed the day as historic as all 146 janpad panchayats got directly connected with the state capital through the video link.
"Training of the representatives and people connected with rural development takes place from time to time at various places, but what is significant here that all the janpad panchayats in the state have got inter-connected through Information Technology, which will help not only in saving time but resources as well," Tomar said.

He said this technological advancement will prove an advantage in the implementation of various government schemes pertaining to rural development.

Tomar said with the help of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's DigitalIndiainitiative, villages are being converted into smart villages.
Joint Secretary, IT department, Alex Paul Menon said a web portal has been designed for the smooth operation of the video conferencing network.
"It will be a decentralised network so that panchayat representatives can directly speak with one another," he added.
In another programme there, the union minister felicitated 17 development blocks of the state which has been declared Open Defecation Free (ODF).
As per the officials, so far 9817 village panchayats, 120 development blocks and 15 districts have been declared ODF in the state.

The Chhattisgarh government has set a target to make the state ODF by October 2, 2018.