How often have we found ourselves complaining that we’re not kept informed of all that is happening by the Government? We even go to the extent of blaming the Government for intentionally keeping us in the dark. While this may or may not be true, the residents of Maddur taluk (yes, the home of the scrumptious Maddur vada!) in Mandya district of Karnataka cannot have this grievance.

The Nagarekere Gram Panchayat has brought out a newspaper called the Grama Sarkara (Village Government) to keep the people informed about the various projects and schemes meant for them and help establish transparency. Writes U M Mahesh in Deccan Herald:

According to N L Krishna, editor of Grama Sarkara, it’s a monthly and can be found in all public places including schools and banks. The paper, which has received a very good response, helps to maintain transparency in the implementation of various schemes and projects. Grama Sarkara can, in fact, be a model to other Gram Panchayats in the State.

With a tag line of “Ours is a corruption-free Gram Panchayat”, this newspaper has been benefiting its readers for over three years now. We hope this model will be replicated all over India so that no citizen needs to doubt that his Government is trying to keep information from him.

Read the complete article here.

Image Courtesy: Deccan Herald