Pending bills to Gram Panchayats, Mandal and Zilla Parishads rocks Telangana assembly

Telangana Legislative Assembly debates pending bills for local bodies, with the Opposition BRS accusing Congress government of favoritism towards big contractors over sarpanches.

Clearance of pending bills to Gram Panchayats, Mandal and Zilla Parishads rocked the Telangana Legislative Assembly on Monday (December 16, 2024) with Bharat Rashtra Samtihi (BRS) member T. Harish Rao alleging that the Government released dues pertaining to “big contractors” and ignored sarpanches who are facing acute crisis for want of funds.

The second day of the third Legislative Assembly resumed on Monday, after it was adjourned the previous Monday (December 9, 2024).

The issue which figured during the Question Hour in the House resulted in heated arguments between the Treasury and Opposition Benches. The main Opposition BRS staged a walk out in protest accusing the government of dilly dallying on release of funds to gram panchayats one year after assuming charge.

The issue started with Panchayat Raj Minister Danasari Anasuya alias Seethakka claiming that a total of ₹691.93 crore was due to be paid to sarpanches in the State up to November this year. The Government was taking steps to repay the amounts soon.

Mr. Rao alleged that the government was unrelenting in spite of the sarpanches calling for aprotest against the delays in release of funds. The government, at the same time, cleared dues of ₹1,200 crore to big contractors starving the local bodies whose representatives were not even paid the monthly honorarium due to them.

This apart, the government had diverted the funds received under the employment guarantee scheme, XV Finance Commission grants and other resources causing severe hardship to sarpanches. He claimed that the previous BRS Government released ₹275 crore every month to gram panchayats under the Palle Pragati scheme to ensure that there was no hindrance to the works launched by them. The Congress Government had set aside Palle Pragati and had not released any funds to the local bodies.

Ms. Seethakka said the tenure of the sarpanches ended in February and the pending bills were the legacy inherited by the Congress Government from the previous BRS rule. “There are bills pending since 2014. The Government is committed to clear the dues but had asked for some time owing to the financial situation in the State,” she said describing the BRS Government as Bakayila (dues) Rashtra Samiti which crippled the State finances.