Gujarat Government Increases Grant for Panchayat Offices to Rs 40 Lakh for Populations Over 10,000
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Synopsis
The Gujarat government has announced an increase in financial grants for panchayat offices, enhancing support for villages based on population size, improving local governance.
Key Takeaways
- Grants for gram panchayats with over 10,000 population increased to Rs 40 lakh.
- Villages between 5,000 and 10,000 eligible for Rs 34.83 lakh.
- Increased support for taluka and district panchayat offices.
- Provisions for residential quarters for Talati-cum-Ministers.
- Efforts aimed at modernizing rural governance.
Gandhinagar, April 18 (NationPress) The Gujarat government has made a significant announcement regarding the enhancement of financial grants aimed at constructing new, modern offices for local self-governing entities, which include gram panchayats, taluka panchayats, and district panchayats.
This initiative is designed to upgrade administrative infrastructure in rural and semi-urban regions, thereby providing citizens with better access to public services and local governance.
As part of the newly introduced policy on Thursday, the state government will provide increased financial support to gram panchayats that currently either lack a panchayat ghar or have office buildings in poor condition.
The updated grants are organized based on the population of villages.
Villages with a population of 10,000 or more are now eligible 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 grant will be up to Rs 34.83 lakh, instead of the earlier Rs 22 lakh, while those with populations under 5,000 will now qualify for Rs 25 lakh in aid, a substantial rise from the previous Rs 17 lakh.
Aside from constructing new panchayat ghars, the government has also included provisions for establishing residential quarters for Talati-cum-Ministers.
This initiative aims to guarantee the consistent presence of Talatis in the villages, thus enhancing service delivery and making governance more accessible at the grassroots level.
The grants allocated for taluka panchayat offices have also been significantly increased.
Previously capped at Rs 3.1 crore, the state government will now provide up to Rs 5 crore or the actual construction cost, whichever is lower.
Similarly, for district panchayat offices, the unit cost has been raised from Rs 38 crore to Rs 52 crore, again limited to the lesser of the actual expenses or the newly established cap.
According to the 2011 Census of India, Gujarat is home to nearly 18,225 villages spread across its 26 districts and 225 talukas.
These villages play a crucial role in the state's administrative framework, each falling under the jurisdiction of gram panchayats, which constitute the foundational units of local self-governance.
The distribution of these villages varies by district; for instance, the Panchmahal district alone contains 595 villages.
