Hyderabad: Harish Rao slams Congress government for neglecting gram panchayats

Harish Rao strongly criticized the government for failing to address the needs of gram panchayats and challenged the Minister to identify any falsehoods. He questioned whether it was true that the State government had not released monthly allocations to the gram panchayats even after nine months in office.

Hyderabad: Senior BRS legislator T Harish Rao called out the Congress government for neglecting gram panchayats, saying it had failed to maintain basic sanitation and was diverting funds.

He countered Minister D Anasuya alias Seethakka’s claims that BRS was making false allegations, demanding for release of funds immediately.

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In a strong counter, Harish Rao lambasted the government for its inaction in addressing the needs of the gram panchayats, and dared the Minister to pinpoint the lies.

He demanded to know whether it was a lie that the State government did not release monthly allocations to the gram panchayats even in its ninth month in office.

He asked her to clarify whether the government received Rs 2,100 crore from the Centre under schemes like Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) and others, along with Rs 500 crore sanctioned by the 15th Finance Commission. However, none of these funds were released to the gram panchayats.

He reminded the alleged mistreatment of former Sarpanches, who were detained in police stations when they protested for unpaid bills.

He pointed out the dire consequences of the financial neglect, noting that sanitation in villages have stalled, leading to outbreaks of seasonal diseases like dengue and malaria.

“Is it a lie that the salaries of the sanitation workers have not been paid for two months? Is it a lie that ZPTCs and MPTCs have not been paid honourarium for last eight months?” he asked.

Comparing the current regime to the BRS tenure, Harish Rao stated that during the BRS rule, Rs 275 crore per month and Rs 3,300 crore per year were released to gram panchayats, ensuring smooth operations and maintenance.

He urged the Congress government to focus on addressing the pressing needs of the villages, rather than focusing on stifling the opposition voices. He reiterated that villages have been completely neglected during the past eight months of the Congress rule.