Centre releases ₹266.8 crore under 15th Finance Commission grants for rural local bodies in Kerala

Union government releases ₹266.8 crore to Kerala rural bodies, promoting sustainable development and self-reliance in local governance.

The Union government has released ₹266.8 crore to rural local bodies in Kerala under the 15th Finance Commission grants.

This allocation represents the second instalment of the untied grants for 2024-25, and is meant for all the eligible district panchayats, block panchayats and gram panchayats in Kerala, the Union Panchayat Raj Ministry said.

The Government of India, through the Ministries of Panchayati Raj and Jal Shakti (Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation), recommends the release of 15th Finance Commission Grants for rural local bodies, which are then released by the Ministry of Finance. In a year, the grants are released in two instalments.

The Union government has also released ₹27 crore as the first instalment of untied grants to rural local bodies in Meghalaya for the 2021-22 fiscal.

Untied grants to rural local bodies are meant for location-specific needs across 29 subjects specified in the 11th Schedule of the Constitution, with the exception of expenses on salaries and other establishment costs.

The Finance Commission grants are instrumental in making Panchayat Raj institutions and rural local bodies “more capable, accountable, and self-reliant, thereby driving sustainable development across rural regions,” the Panchayat Raj Ministry said on Tuesday (November 12, 2024).