Government urged to release funds to Gram Panchayats

Hyderabad: Forum for Good Governance on Monday urged the government to release sufficient funds on par with the Central government to enable the Gram Panchayats to function as institutions of self-government.

A delegation of Forum for Good Governance led by its Secretary M Padmanabha Reddy gave a memorandum to Chief Secretary SK Joshi on Monday demanding that he take steps to release funds to the Gram Panchayats on par with the Centre.

Padmanabha Reddy said that 73rd Constitutional Amendment has evaluated the status of Gram Panchayats from statutory to constitutional.

But, in practice they continue to cling on the State government, both in administrative and financial matters and remain barren as ever.

The FGG secretary said that during the last three years the funds released to Gram Panchayats did not match the Centre's allocation. During 2017-18 total funds released were Rs 947.49 crore.

While the Centre released Rs 928.47 (98 per cent) the State government released Rs 19.02 crore (2 per cent). Similarly, in 2018-19 total funds released were Rs 1112.42 crore and Centre released Rs 1071.58 crore (96 per cent) whereas State released Rs 40.84 crore (4 per cent).

During 2019-20 total funds released was Rs 1136.28 crore which includes Rs 844.93 crore by Centre (74 per cent) and Rs 291.35 crore (26 per cent) by State government.

Padmanabha Reddy said that the Gram Panchayats are starved of funds as the release of funds from the State government was a pittance.

Adding to this government had launched 30-days programme to develop villages. The department officials said that there was no specific allotment of funds. However, Rs 172 crore for about 12,000 GPs was released.

In the recently held Gram Panchayat elections, many educated youngsters were elected as Sarpanchs. With the euphoria created for implementation of 30 days action plan and hoping funds would be released, they borrowed and spent money for 30 days action plan.

When the promised money did not come, they paid loans by mortgaging the ornaments of their spouses, he said.

Padmanabha Reddy said that it was a curious paradox that during the year 2017-18 the State government released Rs 19.02 crore to all Panchayats in the State. Whereas through GO 618 Rs 20 crore was given to single (Palakurthy) Assembly constituency for development works.

Further through GO 833 Rs 23.08 crore was given to Narayanpet Assembly for road works. "We have a reason to believe that government has lot of lip sympathy for Gram Panchayats but when it comes to release of funds government has step-motherly treatment," said Reddy.