Vijai slams govt for trying to dilute powers of panchayats & gramsabhas

Goemkarponn desk
PANAJI: Goa Forward President Vijai Sardesai today has slammed the state government for trying to dilute the powers of the panchayats and gramsabhas instead of giving them the responsibility, autonomy and powers to develop their villages.
“State Government trying to dilute the powers of the panchayats and gramsabhas instead of giving them the responsibility, autonomy and powers to develop their villages. because of this, crores of rupees allocated by the State and Central government to various departments such as public infrastructure, education, agriculture etc. meant for the welfare and development of villages go unutilised.”, said Vijai.
He claimed that government policy sabotages all decentralised institutions by choking them of funds and resources and then blaming the institutions for their failures.
While explaining the significance of the State Finance Commission in the funding and development of the Panchayats, he pooh-poohed this government for sitting on the second state finance commission report prepared in 2010.
“Since that report, there was a third State Finance Commission, but no report has been prepared. He also stated that the role of the Zilla Panchayats has been reduced to sanctioning minor ward-level works. Grants to Zilla Panchayat for Rural Infrastructure Development have been reduced from a total of 17.5 Cr last year to 15 Cr this year,” he added.
Sardesai said that Zilla Panchayats have the responsibility of overall supervision, coordination and integration of development schemes in the district” he said claiming that Zilla panchayats are responsible for the planning, development and maintenance of district-level infrastructure such as district roads, goshalas, colleges, skills development centres, home for aged.
“The Zilla panchayats are not allowed to perform their constitutional duties of preparing a wholistic 5-year and annual development plan for the district. Instead of empowering the existing Zilla Panchayats, the government is trying to form a third district.”, he said.