Chennai: Annamalai of the We The Leaders movement has appealed to people to participate in gram sabha meetings scheduled across Tamil Nadu on August 15, marking the 80th Independence Day. He said citizens should ensure their voices are heard, present ideas and work towards solutions for village development.
In a statement, he said gram sabhas are set to be held from 10 am in 12,525 villages. He stressed that participation by We The Leaders volunteers is important and urged them to bring local residents along, with special emphasis on women, youth, backward communities and Scheduled Castes.
Annamalai said the meetings should not be turned into political platforms or spaces for rivalry, but used for constructive discussion focused on rural progress. He noted that the Tamil Nadu government has listed 10 topics for discussion, including public fund income and expenditure, MGNREGS, clean drinking water supply, the Anna Marumalarchi scheme, Jal Jeevan Mission, Swachh Bharat, the Tamil Nadu Corporation for Development of Women, Deen Dayal Upadhyaya rural skill training, and agriculture-related issues.
He also highlighted that gram sabhas provide an opportunity to raise village problems, build consensus, place them on the agenda, collect signatures and send recommendations to the state government. He pointed to quorum requirements for passing resolutions, and reiterated the Prime Minister’s call for every household to hoist the national flag.
