QCI takes on board 1,500 'sarpanchs' for quality development of villages

The Quality Council of India has taken on board 1,500 sarpanchs from across the country and plans to add 50,000 more by this year-end as part of its initiative to connect with grassroot leaders and foster quality-driven development of villages, an official said on Monday.

QCI, an autonomous body set up under a public-private partnership model by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, has also launched a mobile app called 'Sarpanch Samvaad', which will connect sarpanchs from different parts of the country so that they can exchange good practices and upload their works for each other's benefit, QCI chairperson Jaxay Shah said.

On Monday, the QCI expanded to western India by opening its new office in Ahmedabad, and signed an MoU with the city-based Gujarat Technological University (GTU) to conduct training activities for students, faculty members and associated industries.

Shah said the QCI has been working with around 500 local bodies for various projects.

"We have strength and resources, so we have taken up an initiative on a pro bono basis to provide all kinds of assistance and suggestions to sarpanchs -- from financial to human resources, as part of a grassroots campaign to create a quality village," he said.

To ensure quality at the grassroot level, it was decided to create awareness among sarpanchs and handhold the leaders at the village level. For this, the QCI has also launched a mobile application called 'Sarpanch Samvaad', providing a platform for their networking, knowledge sharing and collaboration, he said.

The app will help sarpanchs highlight developmental activities in their villages, explore contents tailored to their needs, and foster connections nationwide, Shah said.

"We have taken on board 1,500 sarpanchs so far, and our target is to add 50,000 sarpanchs by the end of this year. The initiative is geographically balanced, as we have reached out to villages across different states," he said.

The QCI will provide mentorship, as well as cross-state, cross-village touring, ways for utilisation of funds, among others to help sarpanchs understand how to develop a quality village, he said.

Shah said the QCI would like to collaborate with the Gujarat government in future and bring more quality interventions across the state through various initiatives such as Gunvatta Sankalp, and even collaborate for the 'Vibrant Gujarat Summit 2024'.

Through its various accreditation boards for hospitals, healthcare providers, laboratories, certification bodies, education and training, etc, the QCI plans to benefit citizens of Gujarat in fields ranging from education, healthcare to industries and MSMEs, QCI said in a release.

QCI Secretary General Rajesh Maheshwari said a physical location in Gujarat will help it establish a permanent and seamless communication with its various stakeholders.

Chairperson of National Accreditation Board for Hospitals and Healthcare Providers, Mahesh Verma, said it has accredited over 900 hospitals in the state, and expects more hospitals to come forward and get NABH accreditation and certification.