Gujarat Increases Financial Aid to Rs 40 Lakh for Panchayat Offices in Villages with 10,000+ Residents
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Synopsis
The Gujarat government has announced an increase in financial grants for constructing modern offices for local self-governance bodies, including gram panchayats and district panchayats, aiming to improve public service access and governance.
Key Takeaways
- Enhanced grants for gram panchayats based on population.
- Villages with 10,000+ residents eligible for Rs 40 lakh.
- New provisions for residential quarters for Talati-cum-Ministers.
- Increased funding for taluka and district panchayat offices.
- Aimed at modernizing rural administrative infrastructure.
Gandhinagar, April 18 (NationPress) The Gujarat government has declared an enhancement in financial grants aimed at establishing new, well-equipped offices for local self-governance entities, including gram panchayats, taluka panchayats, and district panchayats.
This initiative is designed to modernize the administrative framework in rural and semi-urban territories, ensuring that residents enjoy better access to public services and local governance.
As part of the new policy introduced on Thursday, the state government will provide augmented financial support to gram panchayats that currently do not have a panchayat ghar or possess office buildings in poor condition.
The updated grants are classified based on village population metrics.
Villages with a population exceeding 10,000 will now qualify for a maximum grant of Rs 40 lakh, an increase from the previous Rs 27 lakh.
For villages with populations between 5,000 and 10,000, the assistance will rise to Rs 34.83 lakh from the former Rs 22 lakh, while those with fewer than 5,000 residents will now be eligible for Rs 25 lakh, significantly up from the earlier Rs 17 lakh.
In addition to the construction of new panchayat ghars, the government has also established a provision for creating residential quarters for Talati-cum-Ministers.
This initiative is aimed at ensuring the consistent presence of Talatis in villages, thereby enhancing service delivery and making governance more accessible at the grassroots level.
The financial support for taluka panchayat offices has also been notably increased.
Previously limited to Rs 3.1 crore, the state government will now offer up to Rs 5 crore or the actual construction cost, whichever is lower.
Similarly, for district panchayat offices, the unit cost has been elevated from Rs 38 crore to Rs 52 crore, also subject to the lesser of actual expenses or the new maximum.
According to the 2011 Census of India, Gujarat is home to approximately 18,225 villages dispersed throughout its 26 districts and 225 talukas.
These villages play a crucial role in the state's administrative structure, each falling under the jurisdiction of gram panchayats, which function as the foundational units of local self-governance.
The distribution of these villages varies across districts; for instance, the Panchmahal district alone contains 595 villages.
