Lok Sabha Question No. 4008 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-03-25
Subject: Funds for Panchayat Elections
Ministry: PANCHAYATI RAJ
Asked by: Shri Madhavaneni Raghunandan Rao

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF PANCHAYATI RAJ

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 4008

ANSWERED ON 25.03.2025

## FUNDS FOR PANCHAYAT ELECTIONS

4008. SHRI MADHAVANENI RAGHUNANDAN RAO:

Will the Minister of PANCHAYATI RAJ be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the allocation of funds to Telangana been withheld during the last year due to the pending panchayat elections;
- (b) if so, the details of alternative arrangements will be made to provide funds; and
- (c) the details of the funds allocated to Panchayats in Telangana under various schemes since 2014?

## ANSWER

## THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR PANCHAYATI RAJ

(PROF. S.P. SINGH BAGHEL)

- (a) & (b) The release of allocated grants to Rural Local Bodies in the Telangana under the 15th Finance Commission have been withheld for the FY 2024-25 due to non-fulfillment of the mandatory eligibility condition of duly elected/constituted Rural Local Bodies being in place.

As per the operational guidelines issued by the Ministry of Finance for the implementation of the Fifteenth Finance Commission recommendations on Rural Local Bodies grants during the financial Year 2021-22 to 2025-26, Rural Local Bodies shall be deemed to be eligible for the grants, if they are duly constituted i.e if duly elected bodies are in place except for States/ Areas where Part IX of the Constitution does not apply. In case, all the bodies are not duly constituted grants shall be released to the State on actual allocation / pro-rata basis for duly constituted only.

As soon as the rural local bodies are duly constituted, the withheld grants can be released on request from the State, within the duration of the Fifteenth Finance Commission and depending on fund availability.

- (c) (i) The details of Central Finance Commission grants allocated to Panchayats in Telangana since 2014 are as under:-

|   Sl. No. | Year    |   Amount allocated (Rs in crore) | Central Finance Commission   |
|-----------|---------|----------------------------------|------------------------------|
|         1 | 2014-15 |                           652.88 | 13 th Finance                |

|    |         |         | Commission                                |
|----|---------|---------|-------------------------------------------|
|  2 | 2015-16 |  580.34 | 14 th Finance Commission                  |
|  3 | 2016-17 |  908.99 | 14 th Finance Commission                  |
|  4 | 2017-18 | 1047.75 | 14 th Finance Commission                  |
|  5 | 2018-19 | 1209.53 | 14 th Finance Commission                  |
|  6 | 2019-20 | 1628.68 | 14 th Finance Commission                  |
|  7 | 2020-21 | 1847    | 15 th Finance Commission (interim period) |
|  8 | 2021-22 | 1365    | 15 th Finance Commission                  |
|  9 | 2022-23 | 1415    | 15 th Finance Commission                  |
| 10 | 2023-24 | 1430    | 15 th Finance Commission                  |
| 11 | 2024-25 | 1514    | 15 th Finance Commission                  |

## (ii) Details of funds released to the State of Telangana under different scheme of the Ministry implemented since 2014-15 to 2024-25 (as on 21/03/2025) is as under:

|   Sl. No. | Year     |   Fund Released (Rs. in cr.) | Scheme                                                      |
|-----------|----------|------------------------------|-------------------------------------------------------------|
|         1 | 2014-15  |                        29.94 | Rajiv Gandhi Panchayat Sashaktikaran Abhiyan (RGPSA)        |
|         2 | 2015-16  |                        13.13 | Rajiv Gandhi Panchayat Sashaktikaran Abhiyan (RGPSA)        |
|         3 | 2016-17  |                        43.38 | Capacity Building- Panchayat Sashaktikaran Abhiyan (CB-PSA) |
|         4 | 2017-18  |                        16.84 | Capacity Building- Panchayat Sashaktikaran Abhiyan (CB-PSA) |
|         5 | 2018-19  |                         0    | Rashtriya Gram Swaraj Abhiyan (RGSA)                        |
|         6 | 2019-20  |                         0    | Rashtriya Gram Swaraj Abhiyan (RGSA)                        |
|         7 | 2020-21  |                        12    | Rashtriya Gram Swaraj Abhiyan (RGSA)                        |
|         8 | 2021-22  |                         0    | Rashtriya Gram Swaraj Abhiyan (RGSA)                        |
|         9 | 2022-23  |                         0    | Revamped Rashtriya Gram Swaraj Abhiyan (RGSA)               |
|        10 | 2023- 24 |                        20    | Revamped Rashtriya Gram Swaraj Abhiyan (RGSA)               |
|        11 | 2024-25  |                         0    | Revamped Rashtriya Gram Swaraj Abhiyan (RGSA)               |

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