Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar will inaugurate a three-day national conference on “socially just and secured panchayats” in Patna on Tuesday.

The Union panchayati raj ministry is organising it in collaboration with the Bihar government.

Over 800 participants from 29 states and Union Territories and representatives of various UN agencies are expected to attend the event.

Union panchayati raj minister Rajiv Ranjan Singh aka Lalan Singh will preside over the inaugural function while minister of state for panchayati raj S.P. Singh Baghel, various Bihar ministers and senior officials will participate.

The initiative is a part of the panchayati raj ministry’s efforts to localise the UN-recommended Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) relatable at the grassroots.

It will focus on the holistic development of a village, with an emphasis on the mental, physical and economic well-being of the Scheduled Castes (SCs), Scheduled Tribes (STs), and marginalised sections of the society.

The workshop will bring together various stakeholders who are working for transforming the society into a more inclusive, equitable and just, with social security mechanisms to take care of the needy people.

Panchayats with exemplary practices on implementing in lusive and socially just mechanisms have also been invited to share their experiences through audio-visual presentations.

Village panchayats are constitutionally mandated to prepare plans and implement schemes for the well-being of people belonging to vulnerable, marginalised and weaker sections of the society.

Topics like the role of panchayat in improving access to the basic services under the public distribution system for food security, reducing child and women malnutrition and mortality, improving the physical health facilities for elderly, improving education support for children, preventing violence against women and children, improving services for persons with disability will be discussed.