New Delhi, Dec 28 (IANS) The Council for Advancement of People’s Action and Rural Technology (CAPART) needs a new institutional framework to develop linkages with panchayati raj institutions (PRI), Rural Development Minister C.P. Joshi Tuesday said.

Joshi called for a ‘radical change’ in the role of CAPART, an autonomous body functioning under the aegis of the ministry and assisting over 12,000 voluntary organisations across the country in implementing a range of development initiatives.

In his valedictory address at the two-day workshop on appropriate technology for rural development, Joshi also said that CAPART had to play a crucial role in spreading information among the people to enhance their livelihood opportunities.

‘The issue of PRIs has not been addressed… You can’t work in isolation. A new institutional framework is needed to have organic linkages,’ he said.

He said that CAPART should discharge an ‘effective role’ in providing technology inputs to organisations working at the grassroots.