The Government of India (GoI) has taken the decision to release funds for strengthening Gram Panchayats and local bodies in Telangana.
Over the past decade, under the leadership of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi ji, the GoI has released more than ₹11,000 crore to Gram Panchayats and local bodies in the state. In the period between 2015–16 and 2019–20, ₹5,060 crore was released, while allocations for the period from 2020–21 to 2025–26 increased by 80 percent to ₹9,050 crore, of which ₹6,051 crore has already been released.
The GoI firmly believes that strengthening democratic institutions at the grassroots level improves accountability and transparency. Accordingly, funds for local bodies have been released in a timely manner.
Following the completion of local body elections in Telangana and the recent submission of Utilisation Certificates for 2023–24 by the Government of Telangana, the first instalment for 2024–25 amounting to ₹260 crore will be released shortly by the Union Government. Upon further submission of Utilisation Certificates, the remaining amount of approximately ₹2,500 crore will continue to be released in a phased manner.
As per guidelines, every Gram Panchayat must maintain a separate bank account for fund utilisation, registered on the PFMS portal with a unique agency code.
The previous BRS government attached Gram Panchayat bank accounts and diverted these funds for other purposes. As a result, several Sarpanches resigned as they did not receive funds for works executed during their tenure. In some unfortunate instances, Sarpanches even resorted to suicide which is deeply unfortunate and regrettable.
In this regard, I urge the Government of Telangana to exercise due caution and cooperate fully with the GoI’s efforts for development at the village and grassroots level to strengthen rural infrastructure and achieve the vision of Viksit Bharat.
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