Vijayawada: Centre releases 15th Finance Panel Funds to panchayats

Vijayawada: The Central government had released 15th finance commission funds of Rs 1,000 crore for the local bodies and the village panchayats for the year 2022-23 and forwarded the same to the Andhra Pradesh government, said Joint secretary of Union Ministry of Panchayat Raj and Rural Development Mamata Varma.

National vice-president of Akhila Bharat Panchayat Parishad Dr Jasti Veeranjaneyulu and Andhra Pradesh Sarpanches Welfare Association president Chilakalapudi Papa Rao called on Joint Secretary Mamata Varma at New Delhi on Friday, according to a communiqué from Dr Veerajanenyulu here on Friday.

Dr Jasti Veeranjaneyulu submitted a memorandum to the joint secretary to release the arrears for 2023-24 also.

Responding positively, the joint secretary said that she would recommend to the Union Finance ministry and the funds would be released after the AP government forwarded its recommendations. The leaders from Andhra thanked the Union Panchayat Raj minister Giriraj Singh and other officials for releasing the funds. They appealed to the Union minister to set up chambers in the village secretariats for sarpanches also.

Joint Secretary Mamata Varma said that the funds should be spent as per the guidelines of the 15th Finance Commission. She said that the state government should not take away the funds from the village panchayats without informing them.