The Parish Social Action Forum was formed in Colva Parish, under the leadership of Parish Priest Fr Polly Lobo. The first meeting of the cell was held on 10th March 2026. Fr. Freddy Braganca (Incharge of CRT) explained the purpose of the Social Action Cell i.e. to bring out the good of the community welfare and not for individual benefits. The members showed keen interest on a session of Gram Sabha and their rights and duties as citizens.
The said session was held on 18th March 2026 at 4pm. Fr. Freddy linked the Church’s mission to Panchayat work, highlighting Jesus’ social work and Goa Synod 2002. Mrs. Vigilia then explained the structure of Gram Sabha, rights of its members, proposal processes. She also spoke about challenges like inappropriation of funds and lack of a suitable development plan. Stress was laid on the active participation of its members in the gram sabha meetings. Topics like the Panchayat Village Budget, the SOPO fees, the transparency and vigilance in the financial matters of the Panchayat was stressed to ensure accountability in the utilization of the public funds and the eradication of any irregularities.
Furthermore, the 2nd training session on Gram Sabha will be held on Sunday, 19th July 2026 at 4pm at Colva Parish Church Hall, themed “Empowering Citizens for Effective Local Governance” covering proposals, resolutions, Gram Sabha’s constitutional role, ADP, Spatial Planning, and community participation. Though the road ahead is long, the PSAF Colva remains committed to empowering citizens and strengthening participatory democracy one step at a time.
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