It will provide training to officers and elected representatives of the panchayats

The regional centre of the Abdul Nazeer Sab State Institute of Rural Development (ANSSIRD) will start functioning from Monday.

Minister for Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Jagadish Shettar will inaugurate the new centre at the Centre for Entrepreneurship Development of Karnataka (CEDOK) in Belur near here.

The new centre will provide training to elected members of the panchayati raj institutions of north Karnataka. Its jurisdiction will extend to the 12 districts of Belgaum and Gulbarga divisions.

The ANSSIRD centre, until now, has been only located at Mysore. Panchayat members from across the State have to travel to Mysore for training. Hence, there have been demands to have a branch in north Karnataka.

The regional centre will conduct training for elected representatives, officers and staff of the panchayats, hold workshops, seminars and conferences and encourage research. It will also allow other institutions to use its infrastructure for research.

Besides, it is expected to provide policy suggestions for the planning and implementation of government welfare programmes, as well as initiate steps to enable government departments, institutions and non-governmental organisations use the institute's facilities for their programmes.

Mr. Shettar said his ministry had entered into a pact with the Department of Industries to run the centre at CEDOK.

The centre would have an independent building soon, and the district administration has been asked to identify ten acres of land for the purpose, he said.

  • It will function at CEDOK in Belur, Dharwad
  • New centre to provide policy suggestions for planning of government welfare programmes