Village in Nagaland confers citizenship to family of VDB pioneer

November 24, 2023 23 Views No Comment

Late AM Gokhale, his family and their generation ‘embraced’ as permanent members of Kutsapo village

Morung Express News
Dimapur | November 24

On December 11, 1976, a historic general meeting unfolded at the Rusozou Khel Community raised platform in Kutsapo village, under Phek District.

The late Achyut Madhav Gokhale, then Deputy Commissioner of Phek, presided over the meeting via an interpreter, marking a significant moment in the evolution of village governance and decentralisation in Nagaland.

During the meeting, he proposed the formation of a body within the village with four primary objectives.

First, the government would extend its reach to the village level, reversing the conventional process where villagers had to approach the government. Secondly, the villagers would reap the benefits of various government schemes. Furthermore, the village community would enjoy local self-government, and it also foresaw the emergence of a banking system in the near future.
Gokhale suggested naming this body either “Village Development Board” (VDB) or “Village Trusteeship Board.”

The public opted for the former, expressing a preference for the word “development.” The meeting concluded with resolutions on four principal agendas concerning the VDB of Kutsapo Village: the constitution of the board, its objectives, the opening of a bank account, and bank investment.

The rest, as they say, is history.

Dukhuyi Vadeo, incidentally the interpreter at the meeting and the first VDB Secretary in Nagaland, recounted the same during a ceremony held in honour of Savita Gokhale, the wife of late Gokhale, who visited Kutsapo village on November 20.

Elaborating on the formation of the VDB in Kutsapo village on December 11, 1976, Vadeo emphasised that it was conceptualised with the importance of self-governance in rural areas of Nagaland in mind.

Meanwhile, Savita, speaking on the occasion, delved into the vision and goals that her late husband had for the rural people of Nagaland.

Sharing anecdotes, she informed that for three years, Gokhale spoke tirelessly about VDB.

The couple even made a pact that if they ever had a third child, they would name the child ‘VDB,’ a revelation that sent the congregation into laughter.

Savita also recalled how her late husband toured from village to village, educating the residents about the importance and benefits of local self-government, aiming to improve economic conditions through independently implemented schemes and projects.

In recognition of this visionary initiative, the Kutsapo village and the general public of Kutsapo declared late Gokhale and his family, including their future generations, as “Permanent members/citizens” of the villages during the ceremony, according to a report from the event.

Padma Shri late Gokhale, a former State Chief Secretary and also Short Service Commissioned Officer in the Indian Navy, served the Government of Nagaland (GoN) and India in various capacities after joining the Indian Administrative Service in 1974 (with a 1968 allotment) until his retirement in 2006.

Among his enduring legacies, during his first stint in the service of the GoN from 1974-1987, Gokhale made significant contributions to institutional building, particularly at the grassroots level, including VDBs and CBOs (Community Based Organisations).

As the DC Phek, he pioneered the concept of VDB, later implemented state-wide under the leadership of former Chief Minister of Nagaland, Vamuzo Phesao.

After sowing the seeds in 1976 in Kutsapo, late Gokhale extended this concept to the formation of VDBs in all existing 918 recognised villages during his tenure as the Secretary to the Rural Development Department in 1980-81, as per the State’s Department of Rural Development.

VDBs were formed in 1980 under Clause 12 of Section 12 of the Nagaland Village and Area Council Act 1978.

In his second innings after a central deputation, he played a key role in launching the Nagaland Environment Protection and Economic Development Project (NEPED) as the State’s Agricultural Production Commissioner in 1992.

Gokhale passed away on April 18, 2021, leaving behind his wife and two children, but his lasting legacies continue to shape the landscape of rural governance in Nagaland.