Allocate one pc of central schemes to Panchayati Raj: Ministers

Thiruvananthapuram, Aug 18 (UNI) The Council of State Ministers of Panchayati Raj today recommended the Planning Commission and the Union Finance Ministry to allocate one per cent of all centrally sponsored schemes to the Ministry of Panchayati Raj for capability building and mobilising technical support in local rural government across the states.

Talking to newspersons after the third meeting of the Council of State Ministers of Panchayati Raj held here, Union Minister for Panchayati Raj Mani Shankar Aiyer said this could help to strengthen the process of decentralised planning and infrastructural development.

In the wake of the 13th Finance Commission, it was also decided to constitute a sub committee of the state ministers of the Panchayati Raj for making submissions to the Finance Commission, he said.

The sub-committee would be chaired by the Kerala Finance Minister Thomas Issac in which Mr Aiyer would also be a member.

The Panchayati Raj Ministers' sub-committee would submit its report in January 2008, Mr Aiyer said adding the recommendations also included convening a meeting of the National Development Council on Panchayati Raj.

Stating that in many states Panchayati Raj was adjunct to development process and not directly linked, he said it could be a bridge to translate the accelerated growth to inclusive growth.

Noting that a large number of states needed proper guidance in the matter of decentralised planning, he said the Kerala Institute of Local Administration would extend suitable planning, training and support to other states.

''Kerala had achieved remarkable progress in decentralised planning,'' he said.

Regarding a fund for the backward region, Mr Aiyer said the Prime Minister had approved to name it after Mahatma Gandhi. Most probably it would be ''Mahatma Gandhi Pichrapan Anmolan Ghosh'', he added.

He said the next meeting would be at Pachamarhi in Madhya Pradesh.

UNI