CM YS Jagan Mohan Reddy urged to deposit Rs 20 lakh in village panchayat accounts

Vijayawada (NTR District)Akhil Bharata Panchayat Parishad appealed to Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy to deposit Rs 20 lakh, which was intended to allot to village secretariats, into the accounts of village panchayats. A representation was submitted to the CM to this effect on Wednesday.

It may be recalled that the CM while addressing YSR Congress party MLAs on July 18 at a meeting, assured them that each gram and ward sachilavayam would be given Rs 20 lakh for undertaking development works.

Akhil Bharata Panchayat Parishad national secretary Dr Jasti Veeranjaneyulu said the government had withdrawn Rs 7,660 crore of Finance Commission funds on the pretext of electricity charges from the accounts of village panchayats in the past. Now the funds were given to YSRCP MLAs through village secretariats to undertake works in villages and towns, which would make village sarpanches as mere procession idols without any power or work. Moreover, it is unconstitutional, he lamented.

The 13,300 sarpanches across the State are in dilemma about how to repay the debts as there was no funds with them. Sarpanches are against the Chief Minister's decision to undertake works with volunteers, which should be done by sarpanches, MPTCs, councillors and corporators, he pointed out.

In fact, the decision of Chief Minister Jagan was against 73rd and 74th amendments to the Constitution, he pointed out. "It is the responsibility of the State government to provide funds to sarpanches, MPTCs and ZPTCs to undertake works like roads, drains, drinking water and sanitation," he said.

It is like creating a parallel system with secretariats and volunteers bypassing the powers of village panchayats, municipalities and municipal corporations. Village panchayats have not received several thousands of crores of funds released by 13th and 14th finance commissions and Rs 1,000 crore from the 15th finance commission.

Dr Veeranjaneyulu appealed to the Chief Minister to deposit those funds directly into the accounts of village panchayats. There are a number of problems sarpanches across the State have been facing including identity cards, increase in honorarium from Rs 3,000 to Rs 15,000, the registration surcharge amount should be given to the village panchayats and regular payment of salaries to the green ambassadors in the village panchayats and all welfare schemes should be given through village sarpanches.

At a time people are suffering from epidemics due to floods and incessant rains, there should be necessary funds with the village panchayats to undertake works in villages, he added.