COVID-19 second wave: Centre releases Rs 8,923.9 cr to panchayats in 25 states

The Finance Ministry on Saturday, May 8 released Rs 8,923.8 crore in advance to panchayats in 25 states in the wake of the surging COVID-19 wave across the country. The grants are meant for all the three tiers of Panchayati Raj Institutions that are - district, block and village, the ministry said in a release.

The amount released by the ministry on Saturday is the first instalment of the 'United Grants' for the year 2021-22. It may be used by the Rural Local Bodies (RLBs), among other things, for various prevention and mitigation measures needed to combat the COVID-19 pandemic. Thus, it will augment resources to the three tiers of Panchayats to fight the COVID-19 outbreak.

"As per the recommendations of the 15th Finance Commission, the 1stinstalment of untied grants was to be released to the States in the month of June 2021. However, in view of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic situation and at the recommendation of the Ministry of Panchayati Raj, the Ministry of Finance has decided to release the grant in advance of the normal schedule." noted the ministry.

It added that the 15th Finance Commission had imposed certain conditions for the release of united grants. The conditions include the online availability of accounts of a certain percentage of RLBs in the public domain. However, taking into account the raging COVID-19 situation in the country, "this condition has been waived for release of the first instalment of untied grants."

The state-wise details of the first instalment of the grant released are as follows: -

1. Andhra Pradesh -  Rs 387.8 crore
2. Arunachal Pradesh - Rs 34 crore
3. Assam - Rs 237.2 crore
4. Bihar - Rs 741.8 crore
5. Chhattisgarh - Rs 215 crore
6. Gujarat - Rs 472.4 crore
7. Haryana - Rs 187 crore
8. Himachal Pradesh - Rs 63.4 crore
9. Jharkhand - Rs 249.8 crore
10. Karnataka - Rs 475.4 crore
11. Kerala - Rs 240.6 crore
12. Madhya Pradesh - Rs 588.8 crore
13. Maharashtra - Rs 861.4 crore
14. Manipur - Rs 26.2 crore
15. Mizoram - Rs 13.8 crore
16. Odisha - Rs 333.8 crore
17. Punjab - Rs 205.2 crore
18. Rajasthan - Rs 570.8 crore
19. Sikkim - Rs 6.2 crore
20. Tamil Nadu - Rs 533.2 crore
21. Telangana - Rs 273 crore
22. Tripura -Rs 28.2 crore
23. Uttar Pradesh - Rs 1441.6 crore
24. Uttarakhand - Rs 85 crore
25. West Bengal - Rs 652.2 crore

Also Read: Covid second wave to have muted impact on economy: Finance Ministry