The state panchayat department has signed up with IIM-Calcutta and IIT-Kharagpur to impart training to the newly elected panchayat functionaries in areas such as fiscal prudence, transparency, time management, office management and teamwork.

The training programme — billed as the first such attempt to impart management skills to elected representatives — assumes significance at a time when the Centre
has stopped funds to Bengal under several rural development schemes, including
100 days’ job and rural roads, alleging financial irregularities.

“Such an elaborate training has never been organised for the newly elected office-bearers of the three-tier panchayat system. It will be helpful as they will get to know from experts how to deal with development projects,” said a senior government official.

Sabhadhipatis and sahakari sabhadhipatis of all 20 zilla parishads will undergo a four-day residential training on IIM-Calcutta campus in Joka.

Similarly, sabhapatis of 345 panchayat samitis will undergo a three-day residential training with expert support from the Centre for Rural Development and Innovative and Sustainable Technology of the IIT-Kharagpur.

The training venue will be the BR Ambedkar Institute of Panchayat and Rural Development in Kalyani. The panchayat sabhapatis will be trained in seven batches.

Training for 3,25,341 elected representatives, including officer bearers of 3,300-odd gram panchayats will be imparted at the state, district and block levels by the Society for Training and Research on Panchayat and Rural Development, under the administrative control of panchayat department.

Sources said the date and time will soon be fixed.

The training programmes have been developed by institutes like the Institute of Rural Management, Anand, and Kerala Institute of Local Administration.

Sources said the state government was keen on it after complaints of financial irregularities against the rural bodies that halted funds from Delhi for major rural development schemes.

“The Centre cannot hold back funds indefinitely.... They are likely to release funds in the near future. But the state wants to ensure such complaints don’t come up again,” the source added.

A bureaucrat said the findings of central teams revealed many gram panchayats did not follow norms while spending funds under 100 days’ job scheme, which amounted to misappropriation.

“This is why training on financial prudence is needed, particularly when many (rural leaders) have been elected for the first time,” he said.