HYDERABAD, February 11: Telangana Minister Seethakka met with R. Subrahmanyam, Member Secretary of the Centre for Research in Schemes & Policies (CRISP) and former Government of India Secretary, at the state secretariat. During the meeting, Subrahmanyam presented CRISP’s initiatives through a PowerPoint presentation, highlighting reforms and progress achieved in various states. He noted that under the leadership of former Kerala Chief Secretary Vijayanand, CRISP operates with a team of ten senior retired IAS officers, focusing on strengthening village panchayats.
Inspired by Kerala’s model, Minister Seethakka expressed the Telangana government’s readiness to implement similar reforms aimed at empowering village panchayats and enhancing rural development. The government plans to integrate women’s self-help groups into panchayat activities, believing that coordination between these groups and village panchayats can lead to significant improvements in rural areas.
Minister Seethakka requested Subrahmanyam to develop an action plan tailored for Telangana, which will be discussed in the state cabinet for approval. The focus will be on conducting gram sabhas, creating self-sufficient village panchayats, and introducing reforms in local governance. The aim is to finalise this action plan before the formation of new governing bodies following local elections.
In this context, the Telangana government signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with CRISP. The MoU was exchanged between Subrahmanyam and Srujana, Director of the Centre for Rural Development, in the presence of Minister Seethakka. CRISP is currently collaborating with 14 state governments across India, offering its services free of charge.
