New Delhi: A Parliamentary panel has criticised the Finance Ministry and the Planning Commission for not making "realistic" allocation for the Ministry of Panchayati Raj.
According to the Sumitra Mahajan-chaired Standing Committee on Rural Development, the total fund requirement for the Ministry for the twelfth Five-year-plan would be approximately Rs 78,000 crore, which means yearly allocation of around Rs 15,600 crore during the entire plan period.
"However, for the fiscal year 2012-13, a meagre amount of Rs 5350 crore has been provided.
"The Committee, therefore, recommended to the Planning Commission/Ministry of Finance to consider higher and realistic allocation for the Ministry so that the growth and the empowerment of Panchayats are visible in the country," it said in a statement placed in the Lok Sabha.
The Committee also expressed displeasure over lower allocation of funds for Rajiv Gandhi Panchayat Sashaktikaran Abhiyan (RGPSA) which is being launched by merging the existing schemes like Rashtriya Gram Swaraj Yojana, e-Panchayat, Panchayat Empowerment and Accoutability Incentive Scheme (PEAIS), Panchyat Mahila Evam Yava Shakti Abhiyan (PMEYSA) and capacity building part of Backward Regions Grant Fund (BRGF).
It has recommended that after the launch of RGPSA with proposed outlay of Rs 33000 crore for the Ministry in the 12th Plan, allocation to the existing schemes which would become components of the RGPSA should be increased substantially to have a real impact at village panchayat level.
PTI
First Published: Thursday, May 03, 2012, 20:57