Raipur. MP Brijmohan Agarwal is continuously asking questions to the government in Parliament regarding the development of Chhattisgarh. On Tuesday, he sought detailed information from the government on the financial assistance received by the remote panchayat areas of Chhattisgarh. MP Brijmohan Agarwal sought information from the central government on adequate financial assistance to small and remote panchayat areas with relatively less population like Chhattisgarh. He also wanted to know what steps have been taken so far to empower the panchayats and train their representatives.
Comprehensive training program under National Gram Swaraj Abhiyan*
In response to the questions of Brijmohan Agarwal, Minister of State for Panchayati Raj Prof. S. P. Baghel informed that under the National Gram Swaraj Abhiyan Scheme, 1,14,61,210 participants have been trained across the country including 3,71,743 participants from Chhattisgarh from the financial year 2022-23 till now. The main objective of this scheme is to empower the Panchayati Raj institutions by training elected representatives, officials and other stakeholders.
Financial assistance and role of Panchayati Raj Institutions
The Minister of State further informed that Article 280 of the Indian Constitution empowers the Central Finance Commission to assess the financial position of the concerned bodies of the Union and the States and to recommend financial grants for various purposes. He said that under the distribution criteria of funds adopted by the 15th Finance Commission, 90% of the amount is allocated on the basis of population and 10% on the basis of area of the states. Apart from this, the Ministry of Panchayati Raj has implemented the revised centrally sponsored scheme of National Gram Swaraj Abhiyan from the financial year 2022-23, under which panchayat representatives are being trained to develop leadership capacity and enable panchayats to function more effectively.
Reaction of MP Brijmohan Agrawal
MP Brijmohan Agrawal said that the correct and effective use of the allocated funds should be ensured in all the panchayat areas of the country including Chhattisgarh. He urged the government to run special schemes to strengthen the financial position of remote panchayat areas and for their development. He said that adequate financial resources and effective training programmes are essential for the overall development of panchayats.
