Fourteen Finance commission grants to Panchayats
The scheme is laudable, as it involves particatory planning at the grass root level .It started in year 2014 -15 for five years ending 2019-20.It started late a year behind. There is a well established agency under “Praration of the gram Panchayat development plan” (PGPDP) with detail literature for guidance Training for all involved is done periodically to facilitate the process. The personnel is also available to Village Panchayat on request for guidance with a small fee debited to the specific grant account Briefly the process starts with sensitizing the Villagers,holding of Gram Panchayat for appointment of VDC and convenor, review meetings in Novemeber, 3 days of planning, in December,and approval of the Gram Sabha for prioritizing the plans and then binding of the plans for implementation There are various agencies according to cost of the projects .Recent changes require to upload the plans without facilities and training for the same.The plans were held hostage to estimation with BDO having provided just one engineer for Salcette Later. Two more Engineers were appointed and Panchayats permitted to appoint own engineers for valuation . It was too late in the day. Recently the plans are held hostage to a new criteria of first providing waste disposal facilities in the area The result that out of 192 Panchayats with a sanctioned grant of 90 crores only 10 crores are utilized The unutilized sanctioned amount will revert back to the Govt. There are a few instances of year 20 15-16 where plans were submitted but no sanction is granted for utilization .In other case the process started a late as 2017-18 and plans submitted with due deliberation are languishing in Limbo for want of approval. Some plans approved, tenders floated, work order issued but delayed due to Election code of conduct, but since then nothing positive has happened The Ministry of Panchayats under Central Govt immediately sanctioned grants based on ratio of 90% of population and 10 % of area. It was very assuring and attractive scheme which has fallen by the wasyside due to strict requirements of implementations. Without any attempt to scrutinize the causes of absolute failure of the scheme, Govt. is embarking on 15thFinance Commission to fool the people It started concensitizing once again past October and want Panchayats to rush through the plan by December after complying with all tedious formalities de novo The people are not too enamored as the first phase of 14 Finance commission has not provide any relief, but was a mere eye wash The blame lies solely on the nodal authorities for wetting the plans and its implementation The grandiose scheme is another sham of Govt of India like all other such schemes announced with great funfare. The blame is merely passed down the line. It would be much better that Govt. nominated agencies see to the implementation, after planning at the grass root level like M.P fund of development The Govt is short of funds due to failure of economy, There are attempts to curtail expenditure and taking back the sanctioned grants without utilization is in line with this philosophy. Besides the MLA, s, M.P`s Zilla Parishad members appear to be frustrating implementations of the projects, as all are fighting the same space to attract attention and political mileage Nelson Lopes Chinchinim Sent from my iPhone
