Mukhiyas told not to mobilise funds

DARBHANGA: Bihar government has failed to solve the puzzle as to how the village panchayats in the state should arrange 25 percent matching grant, as statutorily required, before utilising the amount released by the Union government as aid to panchayats for maintenance of public service, primary education, healthcare, drinking water, cleanliness etc.
Instead, the rural development department has recently directed the mukhiyas, through deputy development commissioners (DDCs), to spend the central grant released to them about six months ago without mobilisation of the matching grant. They have been asked to send the utilisation report at an early date because the state government is required to submit utilisation certificate to the Centre by September 30 next.
With the receipt of the directive, the mukhiyas, who were groping in the dark for months on the issue, have heaved a sigh of relief.
It may be recalled here that the state government had received Rs 160.6 crore from the Union government as aid to the three-tier panchayati raj in the state with a mandatory provision to arrange 25 per cent of the grant from internal resources before spending the amount. Money was distributed to all the districts in the last week of January this year.
In Darbhanga district, the share of each panchayat in the central grant came to Rs 1.17 lakh. As such, each panchayat was required to mobilise Rs 29,000 as matching grant. However, mukhiyas were not able to spend the central grant as they were in a dilemma how to mobilise internal resources. The District Rural Development Authority (DRDA) also could not guide the mukhiyas. Later, DDCs raised this issue in the state-level meeting convened by the rural development department.
Ultimately, department secretary Jayant Das Gupta sent a fax message to all DDCs on July 8, communicating that mukhiyas be directed to spend the amount without arranging the matching share. Darbhanga DDC issued the directive to the mukhiyas on July 15.
However, a mukhiya of Keoti block wondered whether the state government was competent to waive the condition set by the Centre. If the condition was to be waived, then why was it not done at the time of the release of the money, he wondered. With a delay of six months, mukhiyas will now have to spend the amount in haste, he added.