Aiyar urges Punjab government to prepare activities map

Jalandhar, Apr 26 (UNI) Union Minister of State for Panchayati Raj Mani Shankar Aiyar today urged the Punjab Government to prepare activities map for panchayats and rationalise flow of funds to them.

Talking to reporters at Manko village about 25 km from here Mr Aiyar said Punjab had achieved spectacular success in rural development but much more is needed to be done for strengthening the functioning of panchayati raj institutions in the state.

He said that several other states including neghbouring Haryana, had done a good work in strengthening panchayati raj institutions.

The Minister urged the government to prepare on activities map for panchayats at the earliest, rationalise funding to them, create panchayat window in departmental budgets and prepare district plans.

He said the state government really needed to increase finances for panchayats.

Mr Aiyar Haryana had already prepared panchayat activities map and was working accordingly, ''Implementation of rural development plans and welfare programmes, which presently is done by bureaucracy, are to be entrusted to panchayats,'' the minister said.

Punjab Panchayati Raj Minister Lal Singh said the panchyat activities map would soon be released as a memorandum of understanding for the same is expected to be signed in a day or two.

He demanded more Central allocations for panchayat raj institutions.

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