Village councils in Kesarganj district will have to read out their budgets at open meetings and paint a one-page summary on a public wall board, under a pilot announced by the district administration on Thursday.
The order covers all 212 gram panchayats in the district. Each must hold a gram sabha before the end of next month, explain how much money it expects to receive, list the works it plans and say how much each will cost.
"People should not have to visit an office to find out what is being built in their own lane," said district collector Anita Deshmukh. "If the plan is read out in the village square, mistakes are caught before the money is spent."
What changes for villagers
- An open meeting with notice. The date must be announced at least seven days ahead, by drum, loudspeaker and a message to the village group.
- A wall board. A summary of the budget, with each work and its cost, stays on display for the whole year.
- Objections on record. Any resident can object to a work at the meeting; the objection and the council's reply are written in the minutes.
- A progress update every quarter, read out at the next gram sabha.
Why now
Officials said that most complaints received by the district office last year were about roads and drains that residents had not known about until work began. In three blocks where a similar practice was tried informally, complaints fell by more than half.
Some sarpanches have welcomed the move but asked for help. "We are happy to read it out," said Kamla Devi, sarpanch of Rampur Khurd. "But we need the accounts staff to help us prepare a summary that everyone can understand."
The district will train panchayat secretaries over the next two weeks and review the pilot after six months.
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