NEW DELHI: (AMN) The Ministry of Panchayati Raj has provided mere Rs. 30 crore to 17 States under the Panchayat Empowerment & Accountability Incentive Scheme (PEAIS) during the last three financial years.
These States are: Assam, Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh , Goa, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Manipur, Orissa, Rajasthan, Sikkim, Tamil Nadu, U.P, West Bengal and Maharashtra.
The aim of this scheme is to encourage States to empower Panchayats and put in place systems for bringing about accountability of the Panchayats. Performance of States in this respect is measured through a Devolution Index (DI) prepared through an independent agency each year. The Ministry has intended to provide the Incentive amounts for the current year before the end of this financial year.
Despite the Panchayati Raj being a State subject, State Governments need to provide the required manpower and infrastructure, including buildings to the Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs). In this regard the Ministry of Panchayati Raj (MoPR) has provided financial support to the States under the Rashtriya Gram Swaraj Yojana (RGSY) for taking up construction and upgradation of the Panchayat infrastructure / buildings, which is as under:
In addition to RGSY, MoPR and the Department of Rural Development also provide funds to the States under the Backward Regions Grant Fund (BRGF) Programme and the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) respectively to undertake works based on felt local needs including Panchayat Ghars. Construction of Panchayat Ghars have been taken up under these Schemes by many States.