Panchayat Raj Minister Jupally Krishna Rao today said the State government would not meddle with the powers of the village panchayats.
During the question hour in the Assembly, Jupally said the government has taken steps to send funds of 13th and 14th finance commissions directly to village panchayats to strengthen them. The funds will be used for allround development of the villages with a focus on drinking water, sanitation, power and roads, he said.
Reacting to this, Kishen Reddy sought details of the funds allotted to village panchayats in the last two-and-a-half years. The minister also said the TRS Government spent Rs 1452 crore for rural roads while the previous regime during 2004-14 spent only Rs 416 crore. He also claimed that the TRS government was constructing 1,100 buildings for village panchayats besides taking steps to provide all facilities. “The panchayats need not pay for water scheme as Mission Bhagiratha will be completed soon and distribute waters to houses in the rural areas, he averred. The TRS Government increased the honorarium of sarpanches to Rs 5,000 from Rs 1,500, he claimed. (NSS)