District Boards Abolition Of Distric Boards Mr. S. S. Ramaswami Padayachi, Minister for Local Boards, announced in Madurai on February 22-that Madras Government would be constituting a Committee to go into the question of the abolition of District Boards, and the formation of smaller units. The Minister was replying to an address presented to him by the Ramanathapuram District Board. President's Assent to Hyderabad Bill The President gave his assent to the Hyderabad District Boards Bill, 1952, on January 21. The Bill provides for the constitution of District Boards by election and for investing them with suitable powers to enable them to administer effectively the areas under their charge, subject to a limited control by the Government. The Bill is on the lines of similar enactments in force in the neighbourig States of Madras and Bombay, and will replace the Hyderabad District Boards Act Fasli. of 1952 Elections in Bihar by End of June The Government of Bihar, propose to hold District Board elections in batches by the end of June, 1956, Sri Bhola Pashwan, Minister for Local Self-Government said during the question hour in the Bihar Assembly on February 17. Patna Board Faced with Financial Crisis The Patna District Board had suspended payment of salaries and other Bills for want of funds since Jan.nuary 21. Unless the Government allot cess money to the Board the payments shall remain suspended according to a spokesman of the District Board. It is understood that the Patna District Board was faced with this unprecedented financial crisis because the Government were not paying the cess due of Rs. 34 lakhs which has accumulated for several years now. Sri Khaderan Singh, Advocate, the Chairman of the Board, had made a series of personal approaches to the Distt. Magistrate, Secretary, Revenue Department and even to the Revenue Minister and the Finance Minister, but nothing so far has been done to remove the difficulties of the Board, a Press report said. Advisory Committees for Andhra Boards Andhra Government have decided to set up Advisory Committees for each District Board in the State, with a view to enable the District Officers who as Special Officers are in charge. of these Boards, to keep in touch with public opinion in regard to the District Board administration. These Committees will be purely advisory. The budget and administration report of the District Board shall be placed before the Committee and its resolutions forwarded to the Government with his remarks by the Special Officer and Collector through the Inspector General of Local Administration. The Advisory Committee shall consist of one Harijan, one woman, three Presidents of Panchayats in the district and all the ex-Presidents of the District Boards. The Advisory Committees will be constituted for a period upto December 10, 1956.. Village Panchayats More Powers For Bombay Panchayats as The Bombay Legislative Council on February 25 passed the Bill further to amend the Bombay Village Panchayat Act, 1933, already passed by the Lower House. The object of the amending Bill is to enlarge the powers and duties of village panchayats. Speakers pointed out that Bombay, having always given a progressive lead to other States, was once again in the forefront in the matter of democratising village administration. The extension of the Act to villages or groups having a population of less than 2,000 was a progressive measure, as also was the amendment removing the property or taxation qualificatiohs for voting and membership. A suggestion was made that minimum educational qualifications should be prescribed for membership of village panchayats. Replying, Mr. B. D. Deshmukh, Deputy Minister for Local Self-Government, said that it would be invidious to insist on educational qualifications in village panchayats when none was provided for even Parliament and for the State legislatures. Sholapur Villgers Boycott Election Villagers of 37 out of 40 villages in Madha taluka of Sholapur district refused to file nomination papers for the elections to gram panchayats as a protest against the Government decision to exclude Bombay city from Samyukta Maharashtra. The president and members of the gram panchayat of Bemable village in Madha taluka were also reported to have resigned their offices. Reorganisation in Bihar The Bihar Government had decided to integrate 65,000 gram panchayats, established during the first Five Year Plan in the State with the revenue administration of the State. The work of defining the jurisdiction of these panchayats has already been taken up. About 1,300 chief officers and 1,817 gram sevaks are proposed to be recruited and trained during the next financial year and 20 additional posts would be created. A training school for gram sevaks will be opened in addition to the existing one at Brambe. The new school will also provide for the training of mukhyas and sarpanchas of the gram panchayats. Panchayat Courts Work in U. P. That the panchayati adalats in U. P. are increasingly gaining efficiency is evident from the fact that of the writs disposed of under Section 226 and 227 of the Constitution held the decisions of the panchayati adalats during the last six years, the High Court upin 79 per cent of the casse. In all 949 decisions were upheld and only 258 decisions were reversed or modified. The percentage of decisions upheld by the High Court in 1953 was 79. It went up to 83 in 1954. (Continued from page 68) passed the Local Bodies can aid Community Projects The Madras Government have orders permitting the local bodies in State to make financial contributions to the National Extension Schemes and the Community Projects in their areas. Till now, the local bodies were permitted only to contribute to the local development works. This restriction has now been removed. Staggering Progress In 20 Years Prof. Rushbrook Williams, speaking in Patiala on February 23, described India's progress in the last 20 years as "staggering." He was particularly struck by the change brought about by the community projects, he said. The reason why rural reconstruction work failed in the pre-independence days was because it was done from the top, Prof. Williams added. He was happy to note the development of Patiala city where he worked more than 20 years ago. He was "amazed to find it growing into a garden city and with so many new educational ins titution." Village Teachers As Social Educators Mr. S. K. Dey, Administrator, Community Projects Administration, said in Kurnool on February 18 that Community Projects Administration has drawn up a programme for training 72,CCO village school teacher "social educators" during the second Plan period. The proposal would be finalised at the conference of Development Commissioners in Nainital in the first week of May. A similar programme for the training of village elders is also contemplated. The two programmes, he said, would be complementary another. to one He said it had been realised that the village teacher and the village school should play ont impotant part in bringing about an all-round development of the village. In the past the village school teacher was the focal point for all activities in the village. The proposed training programme would enable the teacher to regain his traditional role as social educator in the village. The success of the Community Development programme, Mr. Dey said, would depend to a considerable extent on the development of village leadership. 5,50,000 Teachers in Rural Areas The number of primary teachers in rural areas is estimated at 5,50,000, that is, on an average about 100 per N.E.S. Block. It is felt that one teacher in every panchayat circle might be brought under the training programme. This would mean a total of two lakhs teachers to cover the whole country. view of the difficulties involved, it is proposed to make a modest beginning and train about 72,000 teachers for the 1,800 blocks which would come into being by the end of the Second Plan period. In During the Second Plan period, Mr. Dey said "we propose to place special emphasis on village industries on the production side as we did in case of agriculture during the First Plan. We also propose to place the highest The training programme for teachers and vi lage elders and format on cf representative institut ons of the people will constitute important links in the "permanent pattern" to be evolved for stabilising community programmes. Poona Municipal Corporation has been beautifying Poona City with beautiful sculpture. The above is a latest addition. Andhra CIVIC REPORTS FROM STATES Advertisements by Local Bodies The State Government in a Press Note have deprecated discrimnation by local bodies against leading newspapers in the matter of their advertisments. The Press Note said that it had been brought to the notice of the Government that some local bodies had been discriminating against a leading newspaper (daily) in the publication of their advertisements. The Government deprecated such discrimination and advised that if the local bodies could not give their advertisements to all the dailies they should do so by a scheme of rotation so that none would feel aggrieved and would be discriminated against. Resolution Against Chairman A meeting of the Vijayavada Municipal Council on February 14 passed a resolution reques ing the State Government to remove its Chairman Mr. P. Ganpati Rao from the office as he had misused his power in several instances, the notice for moving which had been given by 12 councillors. Mr. D. Subramanayya, Vice-Chairman, who presided, accepted a point of order that the meeting was illegal under Madras District, Municipalities Act, and after adjourning the meeting left the Council Hall with the minute book. He was accompanied by ten by ten councillors but 15 stayed behind and continued the meeting with Mr. K. Srinama Murty in the chair. They passed the above resolution moved by Dr. J. Dakshinamurty and handed over the proceedings to the Commissioner to be forwarded to the State Government. Assam Strong Action Against Naga Rebels Thirty-three platoons of Assam Armed Police and Assam Rifles were engaged in a village-to--village combing of the disturbed areas in Naga Hill district, disclosed Mr. Bishnuram Mehdi, Assam's Chief Minister, in an interview in Calcutta on February 6 when he was on his way to New Delhi to apprise the Prime Minister and the Home Minister of the recent violent hostile activities of a section of the Nagas. "Quick and strong action", he said, had helped restore confidence among the Nagas after the recent murder of their liberal leader, Mr. T. Sakhre, by the extremists led by Zapu Phizo. He said the murder of Mr. Sakhre was a desperate bid by Phizo and his group to retain leadership by terrorising loyal Nagas. Mr. A. N. Saleh, Chief Secretary, Assam Government, on February 2 disclosed in Shillong that about 30 Nagas, some of them armed with deadly weapons, had been arrested from the disturbed areas following the intensive drive launched by the Assam Rifles and armed police against hostile bands. Warrant of arrests had been issued against five Nagas suspected of murdering Mr. T. Sakhre. Mr. Saleh clar fying the Army's role in the Naga Hills, said that they were on garrison duty and standing by. With the extension of Assam Disturbed Areas Act to the whole of Naga Hills, extraordinary powers nad been given to police and magistrates to fire at sight any person engaged in breaking law and order. Mr. Sakhre, who was opposing the extremist policy of the Naga National Council and was strongly advocating for increasing participation by the Naga people in the activities undertaken by Government for the welfare of Naga Hills was shot dead in January. His body-mutilated and smashed-tied to a tree-was later recovered by the police. He was kidnapped from Sessema Village, tortured, tried by a so-called people's court of the Naga National Council. The five "judges" found Mr. Sakhre guilty of open defiance of Naga National Council and awarded him death sentence, which was carried out by a firing squad. All the five Nagas suspected of Sakhre's murder had gone underground. A reward of Rs. 5,000 has been offered for the arrest of Zapu Phizo, President of the Naga National Council. Senior officials of the Union External Affairs, Home and Defence Ministries conferred in |