AP Panchayat Parishad seeks probe into fund diversion

Vijayawada: National vice-president of Akhila Bharata Panchayat Parishad and AP Panchayat Parishad chairmanDr Jasti Veeranjaneyulu along with general secretary of AP Panchayat Parishad appealed to Vijay Kumar, undersecretary of Union ministry for panchayat raj and rural development at New Delhi on Tuesday and submitted a memorandum demanding probe into the diversion of funds granted to the local bodies and village panchayats under 15th Finance Commission.

The panchayat leaders appealed to the Union ministry to enquire into the diversion of Rs 998.84 crore sent to Andhra Pradesh on March 28 this year.

They informed the Undersecretary that the village panchayats across Andhra Pradesh have been starved of funds and the people’s representatives of the local bodies are under severe stress for funds.

They recalled that the 15th Finance Commission forwarded the second quarter tranche of funds Rs 998.84 crore to the state government on March 28. However, the state government did not deposit funds in the accounts of the village panchayats and the local bodies but diverted them.

They demanded action against the persons responsible for the diversion of funds.

Dr Veeranjaneyulu said in a statement here on Tuesday that under secretary Vijay Kumar said that he would take up the matter with the higher officials and take suitable action.