The Centre has announced the allocation of over Rs 137 crore to bolster rural local bodies in Goa, Meghalaya, Sikkim, and Uttarakhand for the fiscal year 2025-26. This funding is part of the 15th Finance Commission’s untied grants, covering various financial years.
In specific details, Goa receives Rs 11.6 crores as the second installment of untied grants for the fiscal year 2023-24, benefiting 2 district panchayats and 191 gram panchayats. Additionally, Rs 2.98 crores, previously withheld, have been released for two more district panchayats and 24 gram panchayats.
For Meghalaya, the Union government has disbursed Rs 27 crores as the second installment of untied grants for the fiscal year 2021-22, supporting all three Autonomous District Councils of Khasi, Garo, and Jaintia. Sikkim has received Rs 6.6 crores as the second installment of untied grants for the fiscal year 2025-26, benefiting 6 district panchayats and 199 general panchayats. Furthermore, an additional Rs 0.16 crores has been released for one more District Panchayat in Sikkim.
Uttarakhand has been allocated Rs 89.41 crores as the first installment of United Grants for the fiscal year 2025-26. The funds are recommended by the Government of India, through the Ministry of Panchayati Raj and the Ministry of Jal Shakti, and are released to states for panchayati raj institutions by the Ministry of Finance in two installments per financial year.
These untied grants can be utilized by panchayati raj institutions and rural local bodies to address specific needs under the 29 subjects listed in the Eleventh Schedule, excluding salaries and establishment costs. Tied grants, on the other hand, are designated for sanitation services, including maintaining ODF status, waste management, and water-related initiatives like rainwater harvesting and recycling.
