Village councils likely to get more manpower……Ruhi Tewari
The ministries of rural development and panchayati raj have proposed creating a panchayat service cadre of officials to work with gram panchayats, or village councils, in an attempt to ensure adequate staffing of the rural administrations and make them more efficient as their responsibilities increase.
The proposal is in tune with the recommendations of the 13th Finance Commission (TFC), which in February called for the devolution of greater powers and resources to the so-called third tier of governance, including the panchayats.
The proposal will be discussed when state ministers and secretaries of panchayati raj and rural development meet on Wednesday. A background note for the talks says: It is proposed that the states create a cadre to be called panchayat service and provide a core complement of personnel to panchayats.
Panchayats are responsible for the planning and execution of several crucial rural development programmes including the flagship Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS), under which one member of every rural household is assured of at least 100 days of work every year.
We are trying to see how to strengthen panchayats so they are able to deliver the responsibilities cast on them in a more efficient manner, said a senior official in the ministry of panchayati raj who declined to be named. The general feedback we receive from states is that panchayats are deficient in manpower and hence, the implementation of key rural schemes suffers.
The Central government would step in to assist states if they recruit personnel under rules it will put in place and have started the construction of Bharat Nirman Rajiv Gandhi Sewa Kendras (service centres) where panchayats will based.
States can use the Backward Region Grant Fund or the TFC state budget allocation to meet their share of expenditure in creating the panchayati raj cadre. The Union government would bear 80% of the total cost in the first year and progressively lower the contribution by 10 percentage points every year.
Gram panchayats with a population of above 5,000 will be covered in the first phase. Each of them will be entitled to a core group of four officialsa panchayat development officer, junior engineer (works), accountant and assistant extension officer.
Wthin this category, priority will be given to districts with MGNREGS expenditure in excess of Rs.100 crore in 2009-10. There are nearly 130 such districts. All districts categorized by the home ministry as extremist-affected would be included.