Bhubaneswar, Jan, 20: The state government has made major changes to its flagship scheme ‘Developed Village, Developed Odisha’. The new rules strengthen the participation of the Gram Sabha (village assembly). It has also been decided that if any damage occurs in projects constructed under this scheme, the concerned executing agency will be responsible for compensation.
For projects costing more than ₹10 lakh, a three-year Defect Liability Period (DLP) has been made mandatory. This means that from the date of completion of a project, the contractor will be responsible for repairing any defects, deficiencies, or maintenance issues for the next three years. The department said this will help ensure quicker resolution of problems.
At the same time, the project approval process has been simplified, and provisions have been made to increase the number of long-term projects. In this regard, a detailed resolution has been issued by the Panchayati Raj and Drinking Water Department.
Gram Sabha to Prepare Project List
According to the departmental resolution, keeping in view local needs and available grants, the Gram Sabha will prepare a list of projects. These proposals will be collected from the Gram Sabhas by the nodal officer of the concerned block and sent immediately to the District Collector.
Through a public notice, the District Collector will also invite project proposals every year from elected representatives of Panchayati Raj institutions and social organizations. For this purpose, notices will be displayed in the Collectorate, block offices, Zilla Parishad offices, on websites, and in panchayat offices. The proposals must reach the District Collector within seven days of the notice being issued.
Contractors Responsible for Maintenance for Three Years
The department stated that a district-level committee will be formed under the chairmanship of the District Collector to approve project proposals. The Chief Development Officer/Executive Officer of the Zilla Parishad will act as the convenor. The Additional District Collector, Superintending Engineer of the Rural Development Department, and Executive Engineer will be members of the committee.
Based on the funds available in the concerned financial year, decisions will be taken on Gram Sabha proposals on a priority basis.
Background of the Scheme
Earlier, the BJD government had launched the ‘Ama Odisha, Nabin Odisha’ scheme for rural development. After coming to power, the BJP government replaced it with the ‘Developed Village, Developed Odisha’ scheme.
With the objective of creating durable and multi-purpose infrastructure projects, the state cabinet last year approved an annual allocation of ₹1,000 crore for five years to implement this scheme.
Under the earlier system, project lists were first examined by a block-level technical committee, then approved by the Panchayat Samiti, and finally recommended to the District Collector for approval.
Under the new rules, after approval by the Gram Sabha, the proposals will go directly to the District Collector, removing intermediate delays.