Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, Dec 14: Nearly six months after the announcement of the Union Government to provide special package of Rs 414.5 crores to 4145 Panchayats of Jammu and Kashmir every year apart from routine funding under various other Centrally Sponsored Schemes, the decision, which would have gone a long way in development of rural areas through elected Panchayats, has virtually become a hoax with the Centre not releasing even a single penny so far despite the matter being pursued vigorously by representatives of the State Government.
Union Minister for Rural Development Jairam Ramesh had announced the special package for 4145 elected Panchayats of the State during his visit to Budgam in Kashmir Valley on June 15 in presence of Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and AICC (I) vice president Rahul Gandhi.
AICC (I) general secretary, Incharge Jammu and Kashmir, Ambika Soni had reiterated the announcement of package in a Panchayat Conference here on November 6, which too was attended by Rahul Gandhi, and declared that the file for clearance of grants had reached Union Finance Minister P Chidambaram and would be cleared shortly.
Official sources, however, told the Excelsior that despite matter being taken up repeatedly with the Government of India by the representatives of the State Government especially the two Rural Development Ministers, one of whom belonged to the Congress and top officials of the Ministry, there has been no forward movement in release of the special grant.
“The matter was being pursued at all levels with the Government of India-be it the Union Rural Development Ministry or the Union Finance Ministry but there has been no headway in the matter, which has become a bone of contention between the Panchayats and the Centre on one hand and the State Government on the other. Though the Centre has to release the grants as promised by them, the Panchayat members were even targeting the State Government also for not pursuing the matter vigorously with the Union Government,” sources said.
The Centre had in June announced that every Panchayat in Jammu and Kashmir would get Rs 10 lakh per year for development works. Jairam Ramesh had then announced that the grants in the form of united funds would be released within a month and it would be apart from other development schemes meant for the Panchayats including MGNREGA and Indira Awas Yojana (IAY).
Though Mr Ramesh had promised release of Rs 10 lakh worth grants for every Panchayat totaling Rs 414.5 crores within a month in June, it has not been released even after the lapse of nearly six months, sources said, adding that even if the Centre was facing difficulties in release of entire grants in one go it could have at least released a part of it to give some relief to 4145 Panchayats.
A senior Congress Minister told the Excelsior that they had repeatedly been taking up the matter with the Government of India on release of funds to Panchayats to give at least some amount to Sarpanchs and Panchs for development in the rural areas but there seems to be no headway. He confirmed that all queries sought by the Centre on release of grants to Panchayats had been replied by the State Government.
The Centre wanted the grants to be released directly to Panchayats, which has also been agreed upon by the State.
The delay is despite the fact that two Rajya Sabha members from Jammu and Kashmir (Dr Farooq Abdullah and Ghulam Nabi Azad) are Ministers in the Government of India and can pursue the case quite easily with the Union Rural Development Ministry and the Finance Ministry.
With Model Code of Conduct likely to be imposed either by the end of January or start of February, the release of special package would become impossible after the MCC, sources said, adding that it has to be release before January if the Centre was sincere in empowerment of Panchayats.
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