Improve panchayats’ finances, Peddireddi tells sarpanches

Water supply, sanitation and greenery need special attention, he says

Panchayat Raj and Rural Development Minister Peddireddi Ramachadra Reddy has advised village sarpanches to lay special emphasis on improving the economy of their panchayats. The Minister inaugurated a training programme for the village sarpanches on Thursday.

Mr. Ramachandra Reddy said village panchayats should focus on augmenting the financial resources. The panchayats should improve the collection of property tax, water cess, licence fee. The sale of compost etc. could be other sources of income, he said.

The government was allocating funds under the 15th Finance Commission. Works were being created under the MGNREGA. The village administration was solely dependent on the efficiency of village sarpanches. Supply of drinking water, sanitation and greenery were some of the key areas which required special attention and supervision. As a step to achieve it, the State government had amended the Panchayat Raj Act, he said.

The Minister said that a 100-day Jagananna Swach Sankalpam would be launched from August 15 to make the villages clean.

Door-to-door campaign

The government would take up awareness programmes in the villages. Door-to-door campaign, focus on solid waste management, efforts to mobilise resources, and creation of awareness on segregation of dry and wet waste would be taken up as part of the programme, he added.