Army sends 23 panchayat members on educational tour

Army has sent a group of 23 sarpanches, including six women, from remote villages of Ramban district in Jammu and Kashmir is being sent on a 10-day-long tour to Delhi and Rajasthan.
The educational-cum-motivational tour was flagged off yesterday by the Deputy Commander of Rashtriya Rifles from Chanderkot in Ramban district, a defence spokesman said here today.
The group will visit New Delhi, Noida, Udaipur and Ajmer, he said.
The Sarpanches and Panches will get an opportunity to interact with their counterparts and officials of various civic bodies to gain first hand information on the activities being undertaken by the village Panchayats so as to draw similar lessons for themselves.

They will be visiting various self-help groups, NGOs for women empowerment, small scale industries for handicrafts and MSME installations, he said adding that they will also visit Noida University in Noida and Pacific University in Udaipur.
In addition, they will also visit culturally and historically important monuments like Lal Quila, Qutab Minar, Rashtrapati Bhawan at New Delhi, Pichola Lake, Kumbhalgarh Fort at Udaipur and Dargah Sharif, Anasagar Lake, Tara Garh Fort at Ajmer and Bagh-e-Bahu and Dal Lake in Jammu and Kashmir, he said.
During the impressive flag off ceremony at Chanderkot, the Deputy Commander of Rashtriya Rifles Sector based at Chanderkot, interacted with the Sarpanches and expressed hope that the excursion would leave a memorable impact on their minds and provide them an ideal opportunity to witness the infrastructural development and the secular social fabric of the country.

Sarpanches appeared enthused on the commencement of the excursion and appreciated the role played by the Rashtriya Rifles in motivating them by organising such a trip.