Sarpanches demand release of Rs 1,121 cr Central funds
They said that despite repeated appeals to Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan, and senior officials in the panchayat raj department, their pleas have gone unanswered for the past seven months.
Under the leadership of Dr Jasti Veeranjaneyulu, national vice-president of All India Panchayat Parishad and chief advisor to the Andhra Pradesh Sarpanches Welfare Association, sarpanchs from Guntur district, cutting across party lines, submitted a memorandum to district collector S Nagalakshmi during the 'Spandana' grievances redressal programme.
The sarpanches appealed to collector Nagalakshmi to facilitate the immediate release of the Central government's 15th Finance Commission funds, sent in December last year, to support the development of the panchayats.
Speaking to the media outside the collector's office, Dr Jasti Veeranjanelu expressed dismay that the Rs 1,121 crore released by the central government in December last year has yet to be credited to the panchayat accounts. He criticised the practice of merely issuing government orders (GOs) and administrative approvals without disbursing the funds, calling it unreasonable. He also stated that there is little hope of receiving another Rs 1,000 crore expected from the Central government in July of the current financial year.
Dr Veeranjanelu revealed that during a recent meeting with senior officials of the Union ministry of panchayat raj in Delhi, he was informed that the next tranche of Rs 1,000 crore would only be transferred if gram panchayats spent the funds received last year and submitted the utilisation certificates.
Collector Nagalakshmi responded positively to the sarpanches' concerns, assuring them that she would bring the matter to the attention of the government and take immediate steps for a resolution.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
25 minutes ago
- Time of India
Over 90% of border habitations in NE get mobile network: Centre
1 2 Guwahati: Among the 5,200 villages and habitations situated in the northeastern border regions, 4,696 now have access to mobile network, the Centre informed the Lok Sabha on Wednesday. This accounts for mobile connectivity achieved in over 90 per cent of the remote border villages and habitations of the northeast. Replying to a question by Lok Sabha MP Indra Hang Subba, Union minister of state for communications and rural development Pemmasani Chandra Sekhar told the House that all 1,237 border villages and habitations in Assam have achieved complete mobile connectivity. In Sikkim, too, all 68 border villages and habitations have come under mobile network. However, Arunachal Pradesh, characterised by its challenging topography, continues to face connectivity issues, with 337 out of 1,502 border villages and habitations still without mobile coverage. The govt allocated Rs 1,775.53 crore through various Digital Bharat Nidhi (DBN) schemes between FY 2020-21 and FY 2024-25 to enhance mobile network infrastructure in the remote northeastern areas. The minister replied that mobile coverage for any uncovered inhabited villages is provided by the Telecom Service Providers (TSPs) based on techno-commercial viability. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Beyond Text Generation: An AI Tool That Helps You Write Better Grammarly Install Now Undo "The Centre, through funding from Digital Bharat Nidhi, is implementing various schemes for the expansion of telecom connectivity through the installation of mobile towers in the rural, remote, and border areas of the country," Sekhar said. Regarding Sikkim particularly, he said as of June, 11 sites were commissioned in Sikkim under DBN-funded mobile schemes, providing mobile coverage to 13 villages, including border areas. Statistics revealed that Arunachal Pradesh has the highest number of border villages and habitations (1,502), of which 1,165 have got mobile coverage. Meghalaya has the second highest number of border villages and habitations (1,272), of which 1,238 have mobile coverage. While 365 of Mizoram's 378 border villages and habitations got mobile coverage, the minister said, adding 194 of Manipur's 263 border villages and habitations got mobile coverage so far. In Nagaland, 96 out of 135, in Sikkim, all 68, and in Tripura, 333 of the 345 border villages and habitations have mobile coverage.
Time of India
25 minutes ago
- Time of India
Surprise Lokayukta raids uncover IAS officer's property worth 9 crore
1 2 Bengaluru: An IAS officer has come under the Lokayukta scanner after surprise raids on her house at RT Nagar and five other places across the city. The anti-corruption police action revealed properties worth Rs 9 crore, which are alleged to be disproportionate to the known sources of income of Vasanthi Amar, special deputy commissioner of K-Ride (Rail Infrastructure Development Company Karnataka), the nodal agency for implementing the Bengaluru suburban railway project. "We have seized various land documents from her and her husband's possession; these documents include various gift deeds. We have to ascertain who gave them and the relationship they share with her," a Lokayukta source said. On July 15, the govt filed an FIR at Halasur Gate police station against Vasanthi for allegedly issuing an illegal order related to a 10.2-acre land parcel in Dasanapura hobli, Bengaluru, in 2024. A few days prior to the FIR, she had got an injunction from a court refraining media from printing or circulating unconfirmed news about her. You Can Also Check: Bengaluru AQI | Weather in Bengaluru | Bank Holidays in Bengaluru | Public Holidays in Bengaluru According to a press release from Lokayukta, its sleuths found her to be in possession of three sites, four houses, and three acres of agricultural land, all valued at around Rs 7.4 crore, among others. "Also, we found Rs 66,000 in cash and Rs 12 lakh worth of ornaments," the press note stated. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 15 most beautiful women in the world Undo This apart, Lokayukta raided seven other govt officials, including a former personal staff of a minister. The officers raided are: Bagli Maruti, assistant director and a minister's former staff in Bengaluru (he owns assets to the tune of Rs 6.34 crore); BBMP executive engineer HV Yarappa Reddy (CV Ramanganagar); Manjunathaswamy M, joint director (Madikeri), skill development, entrepreneurship and livelihood department; B Venkataramana, office assistant (administration), Mysuru City Corporation; Rajesh M, KIADB assistant executive engineer (Tumakuru division); Sunil Kumar, executive engineer, health and family welfare office in Kalaburagi; and Sheku Chavan, assistant director, district industries centre, Koppal.
Time of India
40 minutes ago
- Time of India
Several feared trapped in caved-in illegal mine in Dhanbad, cops deny
1 2 Dhanbad/Ranchi: At least 12 miners are feared trapped in a caved-in illegal coal mine in Jamunia under Baghmara block, around 40 km from Dhanbad district headquarters, with some feared dead, local villagers and political leaders said on Wednesday. The police, administration and the Bharat Coking Coal Limited (BCCL), however, said that, so far, they have not found any sign of mine collapse. The alleged incident, however, snowballed into a political brick-batting on Wednesday as both the ruling and coalition parties accused each other over the illegal mining menace in coal belt and the state at large. "Twelve labourers were trapped while some others, who managed to escape, were undergoing treatment in private hospitals. Families of the trapped workers were being offered Rs 10 lakh as compensation. This is a planned racket where labourers are brought from other districts and used for illegal mining. After the mishap, the entry point was filled with mud to conceal the incident," Giridih MP Chandra Prakash Chaudhary claimed. On the other hand, Jamshedpur west MLA Saryu Roy on Tuesday wrote on X, "At a place called Jamunia in Baghmara, Dhanbad, a tunnel used for illegal mining collapsed, resulting in the death of nine workers. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Buy the Dip: Top 5 Dividend Stocks with Growth Potential Seeking Alpha Read More Undo The illegal mining mafia is engaged in disposing of the bodies of the deceased. I have informed #SSP#Dhanbad about this," he wrote on X. Talking to media, he held the local administration accountable for the mishap. Dhanbad deputy commissioner Aditya Ranjan told PTI, "We have rushed an NDRF team to the spot suggested but so far, no sign of any such incident has been found." Senior superintendent of police (SSP) Prabhat Kumar said that he has directed SDPO Baghmara to conduct a probe. Dhanbad senior superintendent of police (SSP) Prabhat Kumar told PTI, "As we received the information, we sent a team to the said location but no trace of any such incident was found. Additionally, no one from any side including family members turned up," he added. "We have also requested BCCL to conduct a technical inquiry. So far, no formal complaint has been lodged from any side," he told TOI. Regional nodal security officer of block- 2 project of BCCL, Rajiv Ranjan, also said there is no information of any such incident in the closed underground mine of block-2 project. Health, food and civil supplies and disaster management department minister and Congress MLA, Irfan Ansari accused the BCCL for patronising illegal mining demanding appropriate compensation. He said, "BCCL needs to be controlled first. They are patronising illegal mining with local mafia by engaging our innocent, poor workers. In case of mishap, they will be called as illegal miners to avoid giving compensation. I urge CM to announce appropriate compensation and take strict action. I will soon take up this matter with him." State Congress hit out at the Centre as BCCL comes under it. "The security of the mines is entirely managed by institutions like CCL and BCCL through CISF which is directly under the Centre and the state govt has no control. Coal companies, for their benefit, leave mines insecurely open after mining instead of closing them permanently, promoting illegal mining. This is a centrally orchestrated murder," said spokesperson Sonal Shanti. BJP hit back demanding a CBI probe. "It's a state sponsored deaths and CBI probe should be instituted for such illegal mining and its related deaths. The state govt and local administration is aware about large scale illegal mining but chooses to remain mum," said BJP spokesperson Pratul Shahdeo.
