Tuesday, Mar 04, 2025 09:00 [IST]
Last Update: Monday, Mar 03, 2025 17:00 [IST]
NEW DELHI, (IANS): The government on
Monday released grants worth Rs 699 crore for rural local bodies in West Bengal
under the 15th Finance Commission.
This is the second installment
of Untied Grants amounting to Rs 694.4446 crore and withheld portion of 1st
installment of Untied Grants amounting to Rs 4.9323 crore, according to the
Ministry of Panchayati Raj.
These funds are for the 21
eligible District Panchayats, 326 eligible Block Panchayats and 3,220 eligible
Gram Panchayats in the state.
The Untied Grants will be
utilised by Panchayati Raj Institutions/Rural Local Bodies (RLBs) for
location-specific felt needs.
The Tied Grants can be used for
the basic services of sanitation and maintenance of the Open Defecation Free
(ODF) status, and this should include management and treatment of household
waste, and human excreta and fecal sludge management in particular and supply
of drinking water, rainwater harvesting and water recycling.
This financial support helps in
improving rural local governance, enhancing accountability, and promoting
self-reliance in villages in India.
Last month, the Centre released
grants to the tune of Rs 1,086.06 crore under the 15th Finance Commission to
the rural local bodies of Bihar, Haryana and Sikkim for financial year 2024–25.
Bihar was given the 2nd
instalment of Untied Grants amounting to Rs 821.80 crore and withheld portion
of 1st instalment of Untied Grants amounting to Rs.47.9339 crore.
Rural local bodies in Haryana
received the 2nd instalment of Untied Grants amounting to Rs.202.47 crore and
the withheld portion of the 1st instalment of Untied Grants amounting to
Rs.7.5993 crore. These funds are for the 18 eligible District Panchayats, 142
eligible Block Panchayats and 6,195 eligible Gram Panchayats.
Sikkim received the 2nd
instalment of Untied Grants amounting to Rs 6.26 crore during Financial Year
2024–25. These funds are for the 4 eligible District Panchayats and 186 eligible
Gram Panchayats which fulfilled the mandatory conditions for release.
