Forum for Good Governance (FGG) appealed to Chief Secretary Shailendra Kumar Joshi to see to it that sufficient funds are provided for gram panchayats across the State -- on par with those provided by the Central government so that they are self-sufficient.
In a communication addressed to the Chief Secretary, a copy of which was released to the media on Wednesday, forum secretary M. Padmanabha Reddy charged the government with paying lip sympathy to the gram panchayats, considering the meagre funds being allocated in the last few years. No special budget was also given for the 30-day action plan to clean villages, apart from the general release of funds to the tune of ₹172 crore, he said.
Information obtained by the FGG had shown that the Central government had allocated about ₹928 crore, ₹1,071 crore and ₹844.93 crore respectively from 2017 onwards till 2019 whereas the State had released ₹19.02 crore, ₹40.84 crore and ₹291.35 crore, hence there is a need to improve the fund allocation to the gram panchayats, he added.
