Sarpanches demand release of Rs 1,121 cr Central funds

Guntur: Sarpanches from across Andhra Pradesh on Monday submitted petitions to district collectors, appealing for the release of Rs 1,121 crore in 15th Finance Commission funds from the Central government, which have been pending since December last year.

They said that despite repeated appeals to Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan, and senior officials in the panchayat raj department, their pleas have gone unanswered for the past seven months.

Under the leadership of Dr Jasti Veeranjaneyulu, national vice-president of All India Panchayat Parishad and chief advisor to the Andhra Pradesh Sarpanches Welfare Association, sarpanchs from Guntur district, cutting across party lines, submitted a memorandum to district collector S Nagalakshmi during the ‘Spandana’ grievances redressal programme.

The sarpanches appealed to collector Nagalakshmi to facilitate the immediate release of the Central government’s 15th Finance Commission funds, sent in December last year, to support the development of the panchayats.

Speaking to the media outside the collector’s office, Dr Jasti Veeranjanelu expressed dismay that the Rs 1,121 crore released by the central government in December last year has yet to be credited to the panchayat accounts. He criticised the practice of merely issuing government orders (GOs) and administrative approvals without disbursing the funds, calling it unreasonable. He also stated that there is little hope of receiving another Rs 1,000 crore expected from the Central government in July of the current financial year.

Dr Veeranjanelu revealed that during a recent meeting with senior officials of the Union ministry of panchayat raj in Delhi, he was informed that the next tranche of Rs 1,000 crore would only be transferred if gram panchayats spent the funds received last year and submitted the utilisation certificates.

Collector Nagalakshmi responded positively to the sarpanches’ concerns, assuring them that she would bring the matter to the attention of the government and take immediate steps for a resolution.