Bhubaneswar: A 35-member team of Haridwar Zilla Panchayat in Uttarakhand visited Raghurajpur panchayat and Danda Mukundpur Gram Sabha in Puri district as part of an exposure visit to gain firsthand knowledge about the development and planning of gram sabhas, sources said Monday. The visit was organised under the leadership of Nidhi Yadav, Director, Directorate of Panchayati Raj, Uttarakhand.
Nodal officer Aslam Ali accompanied the team during the visit organised for the elected representatives to learn about the development works being done in model panchayats in various states of the country and implement the same in their area. Ali said that it was a five-day exposure visit-cum-residential training programme under Rashtriya Gram Swaraj Abhiyan (RGSA).
At the outset, the team members visited Raghurajpur panchayat in Puri district, which holds a special place in the cultural and artistic map of India. There are 160 model houses in this area. They are decorated with folk paintings. A shopping complex has been built in the gram panchayat. Amenities include a children’s playground and a gym. The members also watched Gotipua folk dance here and encouraged the artistes. Raghurajpur panchayat is also famous for Padma Vibhushan Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra and Shilpi Guru Jagannath Mohapatra, who is known for propagating Patta art. The members then visited Durgadaspur gram sabha where they were welcomed by the village head Bibhuti Bhuvan Nath. He took the members around the village and showed them the hi-tech panchayat and library buildings. Nath also showed them the local haat built near the panchayat building.
Later, they visited Danda Mukundpur gram sabha, located five kilometres from Durgadaspur and took stock of the panchayat building, open gymnasium, market complex, and modern park. The team members also visited Srimandir at Puri and the Sun Temple at Konark. The Directorate of Panchayati Raj, Uttarakhand, and Rajendra Singh, President of Haridwar Zilla Panchayat, have expressed their thanks to the Director, SIRD & PR, Odisha, and Deputy Director Amita Patra for their cooperation and support in making the visit successful.