Panchayats in Karnataka Struggling in Absence of Central Funds, Priyank Kharge Writes to Union Minister

New Delhi: Congress leader and Karnataka rural development and panchayat raj minister Priyank Kharge has written a letter to his Union government counterpart Rajiv Ranjan Singh, highlighting the fact that panchayats in the state are struggling to take up development works owing to the Union government not releasing funds.

Over Rs 2,100 crore is due to around 6,000 panchayats in Karnataka in the current fiscal in tax money devolved back to the state under the 15th Finance Commission, reported Deccan Herald. Most of the panchayats depend on this money but the state has not yet received Rs 1,092 crore in the first installment, reported Deccan Herald.

“Karnataka being a forerunner in rural decentralisation, panchayats today are struggling to take up development works due to lack of funds,” Kharge has said in his letter.

State government officials are surprised by the inordinate delay in fund release despite the fact that Karnataka has met all prerequisites, including submission of gram panchayat development plans.

The delay has “stalled development works across gram panchayats in the state”, Panchayat Raj secretary Randeep D has said in a missive to Union secretary Vivek Bharadwaj. What has added to the worry of the state government is the fact that the term of elected village panchayat members ends in January and funds are not released without elected bodies in place.

“Right now, many gram panchayats have no money left. Some panchayats have no money for water supply, too,” an official aware of the situation told Deccan Herald.

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