Mundakkayam: Village assemblies too are going hi-tech, giving a big boost to developmental activities. An online ‘grama sabha’ organized by Peruvanthanam panchayat in Idukki district recently saw the participation of several non-resident Keralites (NRKs) also.
There are around 50 NRKs in ward 2 of the panchayat and it was planned to make them active participants in the developmental initiatives of the panchayat. The online assembly was arranged to make this plan a reality.
At Community hall, the venue of the meeting, a television screen was installed facing the audience and the video calling App ‘IMO’ was used to facilitate the interaction between those assembled in the hall and the NRKs sitting abroad.
As soon as block panchayat president Lissiyamma inaugurated the assembly, which was presided over by vice-president Shyamala Mohan, the first caller appeared on the screen. He was Sharaf Hassan from Saudi Arabia, a voter of the ward. Sharaf listened to the panchayat office-bearers as they explained the development works being carried out in the locality and promised to sponsor the educational expenses of a poor student in the area.
Panchayat deputy director Aboobacker was among those who came alive on the screen. He lauded the venture and wished the online ‘grama sabha’ all success. Around 20 Keralites stationed at various countries took part in the assembly and offered suggestions.
Grama panchayat member P Y Nizar, Prabhavathy Soman, Swalih Ashraf, Siyad and Babu Joseph spoke at the meeting. Artist Siyad Shajahan was felicitated.
Read: Idukki News | Kerala News
