New Delhi: The Panchayati Raj Ministry has recommended to the Planning Commission for allocating funds in developmental activities directly to block panchayats instead of routing them through district headquarters.
"What is happening in many districts is that the funds are not available for its backward regions, but a large amount is siphoned off to other parts which are not necessarily a backward region," Panchayati Raj Minister V Kishore Chandra Deo said.
"I have taken up the issue with the Planning Commission asking them to consider blocks panchayats as the units for the purpose of allocating funds for development of backward regions in districts," he said.
Mentioning that the only budget available with the Panchayati Raj Ministry is the one allocated under the Backward Region Grant Fund (BRGF), he said currently the money is alloted district-wise, which is then used for other purposes and not for the development of backward areas.
"BRGF also is decided by the Planning Commission. So I have taken it up with the Planning Commission that for the purpose of backward regions, blocks should be treated as the units and not the districts," Deo said.
He said the Ministry is also seeking extra funds from the Commission for development of Panchayats in the country.
"Panchayti Raj is a concurrent list subject and state government are the actual implementing authority. For motivating them to implement the plans, we are seeking some kind of funds," he said.
Replying to a question on assistance provided to the panchayats by the Centre, he said, "We are planning to give some kind of help for staff in panchayats. We have proposed to give salaries of one panchayat development officer, an accountant-cum-computer operator and an engineer."
The government has also planned to provide broadband connectivity to all the panchayats in the country by 2014 to keep a tab over their activities and utilisation of funds alloted to them.
"By 2014, we propose to connect all the panchayats by broadband. We will give them computers and operators and funds given by Central government will be fed in that. Once that is done, I can tell you the position of any village panchayat from here and with the press of a button," he said.
While the IT Ministry would provide the necessary software and technical support, the Panchayti Raj Ministry has been appointed as the nodal body for implementation of the program.
PTI
First Published: Sunday, February 05, 2012, 13:49