The Army flagged off a group of 20 village heads and ex-servicemen from the twin districts of Rajouri and Poonch in Jammu and Kashmir on Wednesday on a capacity-building tour to outside the state, a defence spokesman said.

During the 16-day tour to Pune, Chennai, Puducherry and New Delhi, the group will visit the model villages of Hiware Bazaar and Ralegaon Sidhi, where it will witness the implementation of the self-governance concept through the Panchayati Raj system, he added.

The Army spokesman said a close interaction of the group with anti-corruption crusader Anna Hazare was also being planned.

The group will next visit Chennai, where the "Unmukt" workshop will be held, he said, adding that the event will give the participants an opportunity to learn self-sustainability skills through group discussions and activities.

They would also be visiting the Sustainable Livelihood Institute in Puducherry, where a small workshop on the rural self-governance model would be conducted, he said.

The tour will conclude in New Delhi, where the participants will be accorded the privilege of meeting senior military and civil dignitaries, including the Chief of the Army Staff (CoAS), the Army spokesman said.

"The tour will also spread the message of goodwill in Rajouri and Poonch districts about the genuine efforts being undertaken by the Indian Army to overhaul the wisdom and awareness levels of the key stakeholders of the society and populace," he added.

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