Telangana Urges Finance Commission For More Funds

Telangana Panchayat Raj Minister Jupally Krishna Rao today urged the 15th Finance Commission to release more funds to states on priority for rural development.

He was attending a meeting of state Panchayat Raj ministers that was chaired by Union Rural Development Minister Narendra Singh Tomar, in New Delhi.

Talking to mediapersons later, Rao urged the Centre to double the funds given under the 14th Finance Commission for rural development. He also said that the states had urged the Centre that they be given freedom to use the funds based on the development needs of the respective states, and that they had sought decentralization of powers to the states in developing villages.

Speaking specifically about Telangana, he said that the state had set up new mandals and districts, and was in the process of setting up more village panchayats, due to which increased fund allocation by the Centre was imperative.

The minister said that the funds being granted by the Centre currently were not enough to take up multiple schemes in the villages. There was a need for a three-tier system of funding - Central funds to states, districts and mandals - he said.

He further said that the direct disbursal of funds from the Centre to villages was contributing to the destabilization of the mandal system.

Stressing on the need for increasing funding to villages, the minister said that since rural development was a must for the allround development of the states, the Centre needed to release more funds to districts, mandals and villages so that projects such as the laying of CC roads, underground drainages and Swachh Bharat with a focus on greenery expansion may be taken up.

Rao also sought more funds for the employment guarantee scheme, and demanded the immediate release of the material component funds.