The fourth state finance commission has recommended constituting a high-power committee to oversee the transfer of resources to the local bodies.
In a report tabled in the Vidhan Sabha on Thursday, the commission has recommended the constitution of the committee as most departments had not transferred resources to the local bodies as per the notification by the panchayati raj and urban development departments.
To meet the constitutional obligations and empower local bodies, the commission has recommended that the committee should comprise the secretaries of the departments concerned under the chairmanship of the chief secretary.
The committee should have the power to oversee the entire process of delegation and devolution of funds, functions and functionaries to the local bodies, the commission has added.
Resource transfers recommended
The fourth finance commission has also recommended resource transfer of Rs 858.96 crore to panchayati raj institutions and urban local bodies for 2012-17. These would include Rs 476.48 crore to panchayati raj institutions and Rs 382.48 crore to urban local bodies.
For the next fiscal year, the commission has recommended resource transfers worth Rs 178.77 crore, including Rs 106.39 crore to panchayati raj institutions and Rs 23.38 crore to urban local bodies.
The report stated that the commission had broadly followed the principles of equity, efficiency and owning responsibility, while formulating the recommendations. Effort was made to strike a balance between the “rare” resources and emerging responsibilities of local bodies in the context of the 73rd and 74th amendments to the Indian Constitution.
{{/usCountry}}The report stated that the commission had broadly followed the principles of equity, efficiency and owning responsibility, while formulating the recommendations. Effort was made to strike a balance between the “rare” resources and emerging responsibilities of local bodies in the context of the 73rd and 74th amendments to the Indian Constitution.
{{/usCountry}}Revenue matters
The report tables regarding the revenue receipts and expenditure of local bodies showed that the total revenue receipts of gram panchayats from their own sources was Rs 14.57 crore for 2012-13. The expected amount for 2012-17 is Rs 76.08 crore.
The total committed revenue expenditure of panchayati raj institutions, including office expenses, was Rs 67.69 crore for 2012-13, and is estimated at Rs 484.26 crore in 2012-17.
Total revenue receipts of urban local bodies from their own resources were Rs 61.67 crore in 2012-13, and are expected to be Rs 373.40 crore in 2012-17. Total committed expenses, including office expenses, was Rs 76.70 crore for 2012-13, and has been estimated at Rs 466.64 crore for 2012-17.