Harish Rao Lashes Out At Government Over Gram Panchayat Issues

Former minister Harish Rao today said that the State government was fiercely in denial about the fact that the gram panchayats were being neglected under its rule and that sanitation management had become difficult due to the non-payment of pending bills.

He said that Minister for Panchayat Raj and Rural Development Seethakka, instead of fixing the issue, was trying to shoot the messenger by claiming that the BRS was lying repeatedly about the panchayats.

He asked if it was a lie that even though the government was entering its ninth month, the gram panchayats had not been paid even a single paisa.

He said that Rs. 2,100 crore received from the Centre under various schemes such as employment guarantee and health mission meant for the villages had been diverted without being given to them.

"Is it a lie that Rs 500 crore received from the Finance Commission has been stopped from being given to gram panchayats? Is it a lie that former sarpanches have been detained at police stations when they called for a Chalo Secretariat program for pending bills? Is it a lie that sanitation in the gram panchayats has come to an end? Is it a lie that seasonal diseases like dengue and malaria are spreading in villages due to lack of sanitation? Is it a lie that the salaries of sanitation workers have not been paid for two months? Is it a lie that ZPTCs and MPTCs have not been given honorarium for the last eight months?" Harish Rao asked the Congress government.

Rao said that in stark contrast, during the BRS regime gram panchayats were given Rs 275 crore per month and thus Rs 3,300 crore per year. He also said that the current government was suppressing the voices of the Opposition without accepting the facts and resolving the issues.

"It is a stark truth that villages have been completely neglected during these eight months of the Congress rule. I request the government to wake up and release funds to the gram panchayats immediately," Rao said.