Lok Sabha Question No. 54 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2021-02-02
Subject: Gram Panchayat Development Plan
Ministry: PANCHAYATI RAJ
Asked by: Vijay Baghel

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF PANCHAYATI RAJ

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 54

ANSWERED ON 02.02.2021

## GRAM PANCHAYAT DEVELOPMENT PLAN

†54. SHRI VIJAY BAGHEL:

Will the Minister of PANCHAYATI RAJ be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government has issued guidelines for the release and utilisation of grant to the Gram  Panchayats  and  local  bodies  under  the  14th  Finance  Commission  Award  for  Gram Panchayat Development Plan (GPDP);
- (b)  the  details  of  the  items  alongwith  the  schemes  and  funds  allocated  to  the  State  of Chhattisgarh under the 14th Finance Commission during the last five years;
- (c) whether the State Government of Chhattisgarh has given the details of expenditure of the funds allocated for various schemes under the 14 th   Finance Commission to the Government and if so, the details thereof; and
- (d)  the  details  of  the  audit  report  and  the  steps  taken  to  resolve  the  audit  objection  for  the expenditure by State Government of Chhattisgarh under the 14th Finance Commission?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF PANCHAYATI RAJ (SHRI NARENDRA SINGH TOMAR)

- (a) Yes Sir. The Government has issued guidelines for the release and utilisation of grant to the Gram Panchayats and local bodies under the 14 th Finance Commission vide letter No. 13(32)/FFC/FCD/2015-16 dated 8 th October, 2015 of Ministry of Finance.
- (b) The 14 th Finance Commission (FFC) had recommended Grant-in-aid to duly constituted Panchayats in two parts, namely (i) Basic Grant (90%) and (ii) Performance Grant (10%). The Grants were intended to be used to support and strengthen the delivery of basic civic services including  water  supply,  sanitation  including  septic  management,  sewage  and  solid  waste management, storm water drainage, maintenance of community assets, maintenance of roads, footpaths, street-lighting, burial and cremation grounds and any other basic service within the functions assigned to them under relevant legislations.  The details of funds allocated to the State of Chhattisgarh under the 14 th Finance Commission (FFC) during the last five years are as under:

(Rs. in crore)

| Year       |   2015-16 |   2016-17 |   2017-18 |   2018-19 |   2019-20 |
|------------|-----------|-----------|-----------|-----------|-----------|
| Allocation |    566.18 |    886.82 |   1022.18 |   1180.02 |   1588.94 |

(c) The  State  of  Chhattisgarh  has  been  using  the  Ministry's  accounting  module  of eGramSwaraj (a work based accounting software, erstwhile PRIASoft) to record the receipt amount and the expenditure incurred by the Panchayats under various schemes. The details of expenditure for various schemes under the 14 th Finance Commission year wise are as under:

(Rs. in crore)

| Year        |   2015-16 |   2016-17 |   2017-18 |   2018-19 |   2019-20 |   2020-21 (till 27 th January, 2021 |
|-------------|-----------|-----------|-----------|-----------|-----------|-------------------------------------|
| Expenditure |     52.89 |    332.64 |    852.92 |     947.3 |   1284.99 |                              996.63 |

(d) In accordance with Article 243J of the Constitution the legislature of a State may, by law, make provisions with respect to the maintenance of accounts by the Panchayats and the auditing of such accounts. The details of the audit reports and steps taken to resolve the audit objection  are  accordingly  under  purview  of  the  respective  State  Government.  The  State Government of Chhattisgarh has informed that 39 audit objections related to FFC Grants have been included in the report submitted to the Legislative Assembly of Chhattisgarh till 2018 by the  local  fund  audit  department.  The  Panchayat  Directorate  of  State  Government  of Chhattisgarh has also issued advisory on 7.1.2021 to the district authorities to resolve the audit objections.

Further, with a view to ensure timely availability of audited accounts of Panchayats from  the  FY  2020-21,  the  Ministry  of  Panchayati  Raj  has  launched  the  application  of AuditOnline.

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