Government plans to extend 'lab-to-land' experiment

Volunteers to act as bridge between depts, beneficiaries of schemes

The lab-to-land initiative taken by the government on a pilot basis last year in three taluks of the State to ensure effective implementation of various welfare schemes in rural areas has proved to be a success.

The success has spurred the government to take the initiative forward and implement it in 16 taluks of three districts of the State.

The lab-to-land experiment involves recruiting ‘Bharat Nirman’ volunteers who create awareness among the rural masses about various development schemes of the government so as to curb the menace of middlemen.

The schemes belong to the departments of rural development, agriculture, health and family welfare, education, women and child welfare, roads and irrigation. It will now be ensured that the fruits of the projects reach  the beneficiaries.

Management of natural disasters and the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee also come under the lab-to-land experiment.

The State government had initiated the experiment with the sponsorship of the Centre in three taluks - Harihar, Karkala and Srirangapatna.

This year 608 Gram Panchayats of 16 taluks in Davangere, Udupi and Mandya districts will come under the lab-to-land initiative.

While there were 2,500 volunteers in the first phase, the figure will go up to 20,000 in the coming days. They will work in the limits of the Gram Panchayat or the block where they have registered.

The volunteers will help make up for the shortage of staff in the various departments, which is impeding speedy delivery of services. Each ‘Bharat Nirman’ volunteer will be in touch with 40 families to see to it that they avail various all services that they are entitled to.

Shivakumar, the executive officer of the Chennagiri Taluk Panchayat, told Deccan Herald that 40 volunteers had been trained in the taluk and they would act like a bridge between the beneficiaries and the government departments.