Hyderabad: The state government had delegated just 10 of the 29 stipulated powers for gram panchayats, making elected bodies at the grassroots defunct.
As per the Panchayat Raj Act, the state government had to devolve powers and funds to panchayats. However, the Act was hardly implemented in the state. As a result, bureaucrats continued to wield power and elected representatives remained mere puppets in their hands, going by an RTI reply.
The Centre brought the 73rd Amendment to the Constitution in 1992 to strengthen and empower the Panchayat Raj system where each gram panchayat would be responsible for its own affairs.
Though 25 years pass-ed, consecutive state governments failed to devolve powers or funds to panchayats.
As per Article 243(I) of the Constitution, the state government had to appoint a State Finance Commission, which should determine the share of funds for panchayats in government funds and also determine that for taxes collected by the state government. But the state government had not appointed the finance commission so far.
In an RTI reply, the government admitted that it had delegated only 10 out of 29 stipulated powers. The RTI was filed by the Forum for Good Governance.
The reply said: “The orders were issued on devolution of powers in respect of agriculture and agriculture extension; animal husbandry, dairy and poultry; fisheries; rural development; drinking water and sanitation; primary, secondary and adult education; health, sanitation, PHC, dispensaries and family welfare; social welfare and BC welfare and women and child development.
Even these powers were delegated by the Congress government headed by the late Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy in 2007 and 2008, it said.
The state government continued to keep the remaining 19 powers that should have been delegated to gram panchayats as per the Act.
These included land improvement, implementation of land reforms, land consolidation and soil conservation; minor irrigation, water management and wate-rshed development; social forestry and farm forestry; minor forest produce; small scale industries, etc.
Forum for Good Governance secretary M. Padmanabha Reddy said, “On the one hand, the state government is talking about bringing a new Act soon to stre-ngthen gram panchayats and on the other ref-using to devolve the powers and funds that were accorded to panchayats through Constitutional amendment.
“If the government is sincere about strengthening gram panchayats, it should first delegate the powers,” he said.
