Lucknow: UP govt managed to reach every gram panchayat at least 2-3 times under the ambitious gram chaupal scheme envisaging governance at the doorsteps to reduce delays in delivery of welfare measures, improve accountability and enhance public trust, officials said.The scheme, initiated in Jan 2023, a year after chief minister Yogi Adityanath formed the govt for the second time in UP, has since held around two lakh sessions while facilitating resolution of more than six lakh complaints, according to data shared by the department of rural development. UP has 57,695 gram panchayats and 828 developmental blocks.The sessions are being organised in two gram panchayats of all developmental block every Friday. The initiative, themed ‘Gaon ki samasya — Gaon mein samadhan” , seeks to bridge the gap between the administration and rural citizensA senior official in the department said the scheme aimed to institutionalise direct engagement with the rural population, rather than relying solely on conventional bureaucratic channels. The initiative addressed both individual grievances — such as pension delays, ration card issues and land disputes — and community-level concerns, including infrastructure gaps, sanitation and implementation of welfare schemes. Officials said that the scheme also served as a real-time monitoring mechanism to provide officials with insights into the ground-level status of ongoing development projects, enabling course correction where necessary.Experts said the initiative represents a significant experiment in decentralised governance in UP. By institutionalising weekly village-level interactions, govt has attempted to create a responsive administrative ecosystem. While the scale of outreach is being projected as “impressive”, its true effectiveness will be judged by the durability of solutions and sustained improvements in rural living conditions, sources said.Analysts said the initiative could help the BJP chart out strong political messaging to build trust among rural voters in the run-up to the UP assembly polls due early next year.
