Minister for Panchayat Raj Errabelli Dayakar Rao attending the National Panchayat Raj Day programme organised through videoconference on Saturday
Warangal Urban: Stating that Telangana has become a role model for other States in development of villages, Minister for Panchayat Raj and Rural Development Errabelli Dayakar Rao has urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to take steps to release full funds to the State for the development of the villages.
The Central government has cut Rs 699 crore funds released for Telangana local bodies by the 15th Finance Commission. For the first time, the Telangana government had allocated Rs 500 crore funds to local bodies in the State budget this year, he said.
“Though the Centre is recognising our development activities and giving away the awards, it should also ensure allocation of adequate funds, if possible additional funds, to Telangana Panchayat Raj Department,” he added.
The Minister attended the National Panchayat Raj Day programme organised through videoconference from here on Saturday. On the occasion, Prime Minister Narendra Modi presented awards to the best Gram Panchayats. As many as 12 local bodies from Telangana received the awards.
On behalf of the local bodies, Minister Dayakar Rao received the awards from the PM via video conference. “Gangadevipally was the only ideal village in Telangana in the past. But with the ideas of Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao and the implementation of Palle Pragathi programme, many Gram Panchayats in the State are witnessing rapid development and becoming model villages. They are competing with each other in the development,” Rao said and reminded that the number of the Gram Panchayats had been increased to 12,769 from 8,690. “Rs 308 crore are released every month to the villages, and a total of Rs 5,761 crore were released since the formation of Telangana State. No other state in the country has provided so many funds to the Gram Panchayats,” he added.
Dayakar Rao said that Telangana had received many awards and appreciations from the central government agencies and added that the awards were a testament to the strengthening of the Panchayat Raj system in the State.
Panchayat Raj Department and Rural Development Secretary Sandeep Kumar Sultania and Panchayati Raj Department officials participated in the video conference.
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