In Maharashtra, the State government today gave its nod to convene the Gram Sabhas in all the Gram Panchayats by strictly adhering to the social distancing and COVID-19 protocol. Informing about the decision, Rural Development Minister Hasan Mushrif said, as per the Maharashtra Gram Panchayat Act it is mandatory to convene a minimum of four Gram Sabhas in a financial year.<br />'' <br />''If the Gram Sabha as mandated by the Act is not convened then the Sarpanch, Deputy Sarpanch and Gram Sevak are held accountable and subsequently action can be initiated against them.<br />'' <br />''However, to stop the spread of COVID-19 the Central and State governments issued orders and notifications from time to time banning various social, political gatherings and meetings.<br />'' <br />''With this, organising Gram Sabhas were also suspended on a temporary basis in the State. Taking into account the easing of lockdown restrictions, life is returning back to normalcy and hence organising Gram Sabhas is being permitted, Mushrif said.<br />'' <br />''The Gram Panchayats are considered the third tier of governance and therefore, organising Gram Sabha as are of paramount importance.<br />''<br />