Seethakka Calls for Planned Use of Gram Panchayat Funds

Panchayat raj and rural development minister Danasari Anasuya Seethakka on Thursday stressed the need to strengthen gram panchayats financially, stating that planned governance and prudent utilisation of funds are essential for sustainable rural development.

Addressing a training programme for newly elected sarpanches, deputy sarpanches and gram panchayat secretaries at Leela Garden in Mulugu, she said village representatives play a key role in grassroots development and must function with a clear understanding of governance, financial regulations and development planning.

The programme aimed to equip local body representatives with knowledge of gram panchayat laws, administrative procedures, village development planning, financial management, implementation of action plans and transparent governance.

Seethakka said development works should be taken up based on annual action plans prepared through gram sabhas, and called for greater public participation in implementation.

Referring to the forthcoming 16th finance commission grants, she advised sarpanches to familiarise themselves with guidelines on fund utilisation, eligible works and expenditure norms, noting that lack of awareness had led to violations and administrative issues in some cases.

She said separate guidelines apply to tied funds, untied funds, state finance commission grants and gram panchayats’ own revenues, and emphasised that each category must be used only for its intended purpose. She also called for improved tax and fee collections to strengthen panchayat finances.

The minister asked panchayats to prioritise drinking water supply, sanitation, solid waste management, street lighting, plantation, environmental protection, village roads, drainage and public health under the gram panchayat development plan.

She added that funds allocated through MLAs, ministers and other government schemes are governed by separate guidelines and should not be merged with gram panchayat funds, stressing that all grants must be utilised as per prescribed norms.