01-07-2025
Govt diverted 15th FC funds, YSRCP alleges
Puttaparthi: The YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) State General Secretary for Panchayati Raj, Regatipalli Suresh Reddy, alleged that the coalition government is diverting the 15th Finance Commission (FC) funds sanctioned by the Central Government instead of disbursing them to local bodies.
He demanded that the funds be directly allocated to local public representatives such as MPPs, MPTCs, and Sarpanches to enable their proper utilization at the village level.
Suresh Reddy submitted a memorandum to Sri Sathya Sai District Collector TS Chetan during the Public Grievance Redressal Programmr held at the Collectorate on Monday.
Speaking on the occasion, he urged the government to implement the powers of Sarpanches as per Articles 73 and 74. He expressed concern over the current government's approach of treating Sarpanches as government employees, stating that they are elected public representatives and must be given due respect.
He further demanded that all welfare schemes be extended to the families of Sarpanches and raised serious concerns over alleged irregularities in the execution of MGNREGS (Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme) works.
The YSRCP leaders present called for a thorough investigation into corruption in the scheme and insisted that all rural employment projects should be executed through Panchayats, ensuring timely wage payments to workers.
Additionally, they demanded immediate postings for the 1,320 Panchayat Secretaries currently awaiting assignment and the release of pending salaries.
The leaders also urged the State Government to transfer the Rs1,150 crore released by the Centre to the local bodies without delay.
