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The Union Government has released the first installment of the Fifteenth Finance Commission (XV FC) grants for the financial year 2024-25 to the Rural Local Bodies (RLBs) in Andhra Pradesh and Rajasthan, Ministry of Panchayati Raj said in a statement on Saturday. Andhra Pradesh has received untied grants amounting to Rs 395.5091 crores and tied grants totalling Rs 593.2639 crores, the statement added.
These funds are for duly elected 9 eligible District Panchayats, 615 eligible Block Panchayats, and 12,853 eligible Gram Panchayats in Andhra Pradesh. While in Rajasthan, untied grants of Rs 507.1177 crore and tied grants of Rs 760.6769 crore have been released for the duly elected 22 eligible District Panchayats, 287 eligible Block Panchayats and 9,068 eligible Gram Panchayats in the state. The untied grants will enable Panchayats to address specific local needs across 29 subjects under the Eleventh Schedule of the Constitution of India, ranging from agriculture and rural housing to education and sanitation, the statement said. The tied grants will focus on core services such as sanitation, maintenance of open-defecation free (ODF) status and water management, including rainwater harvesting, water recycling, and treatment of household waste.The government of India through the Ministry of Panchayati Raj and Ministry of Jal Shakti (Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation) recommends the release of XV-FC Grants to States for Rural Local Bodies which are then released by Ministry of Finance. The allocated Grants are recommended and released in 2 instalments in a financial year. In line with Article 243G of the Indian Constitution, these funds empower Panchayats to manage essential services and infrastructure. The provision of tied grants has presented a significant opportunity for Gram Panchayats to redefine local self-governance in alignment with Mahatma Gandhi's vision of 'Gram Swaraj', fostering the development of responsible and responsive leadership at the grassroots level. (ANI)
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