Lok Sabha Question No. 1438 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2016-11-24
Subject: Empowerment of Panchayats
Ministry: PANCHAYATI RAJ
Asked by: G. HARI

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF PANCHAYATI RAJ

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1438

TO BE ANSWERED ON 24.11.2016

## EMPOWERMENT OF PANCHAYATS

## 1438. SHRI G. HARI:

SHRI K. PARASURAMAN:

Will the Minister of PANCHAYATI RAJ be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government proposes to hire junior level engineers and data entry operators for working  in  panchayats  to  make  the  panchayats  e-governance  friendly,  if  so,  the  details thereof;
- (b)  whether  it  is  a  fact  that  there  are  58000  gram  panchayats  across  the  country  without permanent office facilities and if so, the details thereof;
- (c)  whether the Government has rolled back the BRGF scheme, if so, the details thereof; and
- (d)  whether  the  Union  Government  had  asked  the  State  Governments  to  increase  their  own funding resources to empower panchayats and if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF PANCHAYATI RAJ (SHRI PARSHOTTAM RUPALA)

- (a) Under  the  Rajiv  Gandhi  Panchayat  Shashaktikaran  Abhiyan  (RGPSA)  scheme  of  the Ministry,  until  2014-15,  funds  were  provided  to  States  for  engaging  administrative  and technical  staff  (accountant-cum-data  entry  operators,  junior  engineers)  at  block  and  Gram Panchayats level. However, with effect from 2015-16, the State component of RGPSA has been delinked from the central support and the States have been advised to devolve funds, functions and functionaries to Panchayats to equip them to perform their functions smoothly.
- (b) As per the information shared by State Governments, over 57,000 Panchayats do not have their own buildings. The State/UT-wise detail of Panchayats without buildings is placed at Annexe.
- (c) From the financial  year  2015-16  onwards,  the  Backward  Regions  Grant  Fund  Programme (BRGF) has been delinked from the budgetary support of the Central Government on account of higher devolution of funds to the States from 32% to 42% of the Centre's net tax receipts.
- (d) Under  the  Fourteenth  Finance  Commission  award,  release  of  Performance  Grants  to Panchayats  is  linked, inter  alia ,  with  the  increase  in  Own  Source  Revenue  by  the  Gram Panchayats over the preceding year that has been reiterated by the Ministry of Panchayati Raj to the States.

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Annex referred to in reply to part (b) of Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No 1438 for 24.11.2016 regarding Empowerment of Panchayats

## Details of Panchayats without building

| State/UT                 | Number of Panchayats without building   |
|--------------------------|-----------------------------------------|
| Andhra Pradesh           | 11,811                                  |
| Andaman &Nicobar Islands | **                                      |
| Arunachal Pradesh        | 1247                                    |
| Assam                    | 314                                     |
| Bihar                    | 2182                                    |
| Chandigarh               | **                                      |
| Chhattisgarh             | 93                                      |
| Dadra &Nagar Haveli      | **                                      |
| Daman &Diu               | **                                      |
| Goa                      | 7                                       |
| Gujarat                  | 336                                     |
| Haryana                  | 2516                                    |
| Himachal Pradesh         | 212                                     |
| Jammu &Kashmir           | 1943                                    |
| Jharkhand                | 952                                     |
| Karnataka                | 0                                       |
| Kerala                   | 3                                       |
| Lakshadweep              | **                                      |
| Madhya Pradesh           | 3500                                    |
| Maharashtra              | 4363                                    |
| Manipur                  | 57                                      |
| Mizoram                  | **                                      |
| Odisha                   | 245                                     |
| Puducherry               | **                                      |
| Punjab                   | 7754                                    |
| Rajasthan                | 723                                     |
| Sikkim                   | 17                                      |
| Tamil Nadu               | 613                                     |
| Telangana                | 275                                     |
| Tripura                  | 150                                     |
| Uttar Pradesh            | 16342                                   |
| Uttarakhand              | 1143                                    |
| West Bengal              | 60                                      |
| Total                    | 57078                                   |

Source of information: Plan Proposal of States submitted under RGSA scheme Information as on 25/7/2016

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