Guntur: Finance panel funds diverted, Panchayat Parishad complains

Guntur: Akhila Bharata Panchayat Parishad in a memorandum submitted to the secretary of Union Ministry for Panchayat Raj Sunil Kumar stated that the State government had taken away Rs 7,620 crore released to village panchayats across the State from the 14th and 15th Finance Commission.

Secretary of the Parishad Dr Jasti Veeranjaneyulu, Andhra Pradesh Panchayat Parishad vice-president Mullangi Ramakrishna Reddy and general secretary Kottapu Muni Reddy met Secretary Sunil Kumar at Krushi Bhavan in New Delhi on Monday and informed him that the village panchayats received Rs 7665.79 crore from 2018-19 to 2021-22.

However, the State government appropriated all the funds without caring for the rules and without the resolution of Grama Sabha from the accounts of the village panchayats in the name of electricity arrears, they pointed out.

The Panchayat Parishad leaders said that since it was against the rules to take away the funds without the resolution of Grama Sabhas, the Central government should direct the State government to return the funds to the village panchayats.

The Parishad leaders appealed to the Central government to release 15th Finance Commission funds directly to village panchayats.

Secretary Sunil Kumar advised the village panchayats to save electricity and collect taxes regularly from the citizens. He assured the delegation that further action would be taken in this regard and the State government should work as per the rules framed by the Central government.