Gram Panchayats in Andhra Pradesh, which the YS Jagan Mohan Reddy government neglected, are now starting to see better days.
The current NDA government released funds of Rs. 1,452 crore on Tuesday for the development of panchayats in the state.
Unlike the previous government, which cut funds in the name of electricity bill dues and diverted funds to other sectors, the current government is directly transferring funds to the accounts of panchayats.
The YCP government completely neglected the panchayats during its tenure. It didn’t release the stamp duty, per capita income, and sewerage charges that were supposed to come from the state government.
On top of it, Jagan’s government diverted funds of Rs. 5,500 crores given by the 14th and 15th Finance Commissions of the Union Government. As a result, all work, from roadways to drinking water, in panchayats was stalled.
Various sarpanches staged protests against Jagan for diverting Panchayat funds, but their efforts were of no use.
In 2023-24, the central government provided funds of Rs. 998 crore as part of the second phase for the development of panchayats. The YCP government didn’t release those funds either.
As promised during elections, the alliance government released Rs. 998 crore for panchayats, mandals, and Zilla Parishads across the state.
It also released another Rs. 454 crore for the development of municipal corporations, municipalities, and Nagar Panchayats.
On the whole, the government released a total of Rs. 1,452 crore at once, as a part of resolving the long-standing issues of panchayats.
