Credit Central funds in GP accounts, demand Sarpanches

Karimnagar: With the diversion of Central funds by State government sarpanches in erstwhile Karimnagar are in a fix and worried about bills payment for the works they executed.

Due to the lack of release of funds to the extent expected by the government, roads, drains and various development works are being carried out in the villages with the funds available. The state government's attitude has become a stumbling block for the Sarpanches who thought that the villages would be further developed as they have one more year in office.

The sarpanches are expressing concern that the funds allocated by the Centre to the villages three days ago were diverted through the digital key without anyone knowing. Gram panchayats are instructed to open new accounts apart from the existing bank accounts, and in the month of April, sarpanch and deputy sarpanch opened joint accounts. However, the sarpanches complain that the digital key which the Centre ordered the state government to give to the sarpanch and deputy sarpanch to draw the funds has not been given to us till now, complained Batikepalli sarpanch Tatiparthi Shobharani.

For the development of villages, the central government is releasing funds directly to the gram panchayats according to the population ratio, while the sarpanches are spending money on development works required by their villages and working hard to create basic facilities for the people, she said.

As the digital key for drawing funds related to the funds released by the central government is with the state government, as soon as the funds are deposited, through the digital key, the State government immediately diverted the funds, Shobharani told The Hans India.

The sarpanchs after coming to know about the diversion of funds through social media, newspapers are angry with the government. Lingapur Sarpanch Erelli Shankar said that it is bad that the State government is diverting the Central funds given to the gram panchayats.

The sarpanches are thrown into debt trap due to non-payment of bills for the work done. When purchasing a tractor for the Gram Panchayats, they have to pay the amount in monthly installments, as well as staff salaries, street lights, greenery, drinking water chlorination bleaching powder purchase every month, while the state government delaying the release of Central funds, alleged Gopalraopeta sarpanch Karra Satyaprasanna Reddy.

The sarpanchs are demanding that the funds diverted by the state government should be given to the gram panchayats immediately. They strongly condemned the diversion of funds by keeping the digital key with State government.