Punjab’s Rural Development and Panchayat Minister, Tarunpreet Singh Sond, said that modern Panchayat Ghars and Common Service Centres will script a new chapter in the development of villages. He informed that in the first phase, 500 Panchayat Ghars and Common Service Centres are being constructed across the state at a cost of Rs 125 crore. It may be recalled that a few days ago, Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann launched this project from the holy land of Fatehgarh Sahib.
Sond stated that every village with a population of more than 2,800 will have one Panchayat Ghar and one Common Service Centre. The cost of constructing a Panchayat Ghar will be Rs 20 lakh while a Common Service Centre will be built at Rs 5 lakh. He added that villages without Panchayat Ghars have been prioritized under this project. Expressing concern, he noted that although Panchayats are the strongest foundation of democracy, many lacked even basic infrastructure for meetings. The new Panchayat Ghars and service centres will address this gap.
The Minister said that these facilities will provide multiple services to villagers. A Panchayat Ghar will not merely be an office but will serve as an important hub for deliberations and decision-making for rural development. He emphasized that Common Service Centres will act as the backbone of the digital revolution in villages, enabling people to access online services easily.
Highlighting the importance of digital infrastructure, Sond said that in today’s era, services such as registration for government schemes, admissions to educational institutions, Aadhaar card, passport, and many others are available online. Hence, these Common Service Centres will play a vital role in facilitating these services for rural citizens. He also expressed hope that this initiative will provide Panchayats with an appropriate platform to come together and make collective decisions for the betterment of their villages.