PRIs be given powers to spend funds under RGRGY for works

New Delhi, Apr 24 (UNI) Haryana's Chief Parliamentary Secretary, Dharambir Singh today said the Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) should be given the powers to spend funds being provided under the "Rashtriya Gramin Rozgar Guarantee Yojana (RGRGY)" for various developmental works.

Addressing a National Convention of Presidents of Zila Parishads and Intermediate Panchayats organised by the Union Ministry of Panchayati Raj here, he pointed out that a number of problems were being faced by the Panchayats because of disparity in the wages of the workers in the States and urged that no condition should be imposed on the Panchayats while executing the works under this ambitious RGRGY.

While pointing out that our great leaders like Father of the Nation Mahatama Gandhi and Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru had dreamt of prosperity of people in the country and extension of all facilities in villages, he stressed the need for providing more facilities in rural areas to stop the exodus of villagers to urban areas.

He reminded that former Prime Minister, Rajiv Gandhi was of firm opinion that the country could not progress in real sense without the active participation of the Panchayats and when he became Prime Minister, he took a number of steps to ensure participation of the common man in the developmental process by strengthening the Panchayati Raj Institutions.

Claiming that Haryana was leading in every field of development and was at number one position in the country in fiscal management, Mr Dharamvir said that there had been three times increase in the annual budget plan and four times increase in allocation of funds for rural development during the last three years. The state government had planned to spend Rs 400 crore to develop 95 identified villages as Model Villages and Rs 175 crore had already been released for this purpose.

He said that the State Government had launched a flagship programme for the members belonging to the Scheduled Castes and those living below the poverty line (BPL) in the villages under which each such family would be given plots of 100 square yards free of cost. As many as 14,75,000 applications were received by March 31 this year under this scheme.

In addition to the cost of such plots, Rs 2000 crore would be spent on providing basic amenities in the areas of such plots, he added.

He said that the state government had given power to the Panchayats for enrollment of Safai Karamcharis in their villages and about 11,000 such karamcharis were being enrolled to keep the villages neat and clean.

"In order to promote sports activities in the villages, sports stadiums were being constructed in the villages and Rs 50 lakh was being spent on the construction of each stadium," he added.

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