State to rope in NGOs for development of rural areas

JAIPUR: To expedite development works in rural areas, the state rural development and panchayati raj (RDPR) department would soon rope in NGOs, a move already adopted by the women and child development department.

The NGOs would work in sectors such as watershed area development and management, housing and roads construction in rural areas, groundwater recharge, plantation and joint forest management and other such works. The NGOs will bear 10% of the total project cost.

For selecting the NGOs, the RDPR department will form panels and the chief executive officer of the respective Zila Parishads will invite expression of interest.

A senior official of Panchayati Raj department said, “The way philanthropists came up and financially supported the develof

opment work taken up under the Chief Minister Jal Sawalmbhan Yojna at local level, similarly the development work could be expedited with the help of NGOs and such organisations.”

To ensure “efficient, effective and innovative execution of development works in public interest,” the finance department has granted exemption to “credible organisations” from the application of the provision the Rajasthan Transparency in Public Procurement Act, 2012.

The circular issued by the RDPR department states that the organisation will only be allowed 25% of the total annual work plan of the respective scheme. The NGOs with experience in concerned district will be given preference.

The NGO or organisation should have been registered for a minimum of five years. They must have valid PAN and TAN and should be able to produce activity report of last three years with special mention of work done related to panchayati raj and rural development. The organization should have a stable financial condition and one year work experience in construction work of minimum ₹50 lakh. The management committee of the organisation should not have more than two members of a family.