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Panchayats will be involved in a major way in the implementation of centrally sponsored schemes, said Shri Mani Shankar Aiyar, Minister of Petroleum & Natural Gas and Panchayati Raj here today. Addressing a meeting of media persons Shri Aiyar said that the 12th Finance Commission in its recently submitted report to the Government has recommended that the Consolidated Funds of States might be augmented by Rs. 20,000 crore for supplementing the resources of Panchayats for a period of five years. The 11th Finance Commission had recommended Rs. 8,000 crore for this purpose.
Shri Aiyar said that the compendium of 150 resolutions evolved through consensus in Seven Round Table Conferences with State Governments was generally accepted by all States and Union Territories (UTs). With the increased staff strength now allotted to the Ministry of Panchayati Raj the review and implementation of these resolutions would be faster. The Ministry is now in the process of visiting each of the States and UTs to review with the authorities concerned the progress in implementing the points of action evolved through the Round Table conferences for strengthening Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs). Review meetings have been scheduled every month till May 2006 so far. The meeting taken last month with the Government of Karnataka, has shown that the State has championed the cause of empowering Panchayats. The entrustment of schemes by the Karnataka Government to Panchayats in the current year’s budget is a giant step forward in matching the functional transfer with the funds. Through this process the Panchayats in Karnataka now handle in excess of Rs. 3500 crore of Plan funds per year.
The just concluded review meeting with the West Bengal Government was also encouraging as far as devolution of functions and functionaries to PRIs is concerned, the Minister pointed out. The Panchayati Raj system is being implemented in all States and UTs and all States except for Jharkhand and Pondicherry conducted elections to Panchayati Raj bodies. However, these two States have also indicated that elections would be held for PRIs very soon, the Minister informed.
SBK/VN
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