Center releases first tranche of financial commission subsidy for local bodies in Andhra, Rajasthan | India News – Times of India

NEW DELHI: The Union government has released the first episode of the 15th Finance Committee grants for 2024-2025 to Rural Local authorities (RLBs) in Andhra Pradesh and Rajasthan, the Panchayati Raj Ministry said in a statement. Andhra Pradesh has received untied grants worth Rs 395.50 crore and tied grants totaling Rs 593.26 crore. These funds are earmarked for duly elected nine eligible district panchayats, 615 eligible block panchayats and 12,853 eligible gram panchayats in the state.
In Rajasthan, untied grants of Rs 507.11 crore and tied grants of Rs 760.67 crore have been released for the duly elected 22 eligible district panchayats, 287 eligible block panchayats and 9,068 eligible gram panchayats.
The untied grants will enable panchayats to address specific local needs on 29 issues under the 11th Schedule of the Constitution, ranging from agriculture and rural housing to education and sanitation.
However, these funds cannot be used for salaries or formation costs.
The tied grants will focus on core services such as sanitation, maintenance of open defecation status (ODF) and water management, including rainwater harvesting, water recycling and municipal waste treatment.
In accordance with Article 243G of the Constitution, these funds enable panchayats to manage essential services and infrastructure, the ministry said.