Centre Releases Rs 455 Cr Finance Commission Grants For Odisha

Bhubaneswar: The Union Government has released the 15th Finance Commission Grants for the financial year 2024–25, targeting Rural Local Bodies in Rajasthan and Odisha.

For Rajasthan, the second instalment of Untied Grants in the amount of Rs 560.63 crore has been released along with the withheld first instalment of Rs 53.4123 crore. This amount is earmarked for 10,105 eligible Gram Panchayats, 315 eligible Block Panchayats, and 20 eligible District Panchayats.

In the case of Odisha, the Untied Grants for the second instalment of Rs 370.20 crore have been released along with the withheld amount of the first instalment that amounts to Rs 84.5086 crore.

The amount is for all eligible 6,794 Gram Panchayats, 314 Block Panchayats, and 30 District Panchayats, the Panchayati Raj Ministry said in a release on Wednesday.

The Untied Grants are meant to be utilised by Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) and Rural Local Bodies (RLBs) for location-specific needs under the Twenty-Nine subjects enshrined in the Eleventh Schedule of the Constitution, excluding salaries and establishment costs. Tied Grants can be utilized for basic services such as sanitation and maintenance of Open Defecation Free (ODF) status, including management and treatment of household waste, human excreta, and fecal sludge. They can also be used for the supply of drinking water, rainwater harvesting, and recycling of water.

The Ministry of Panchayati Raj and the Ministry of Jal Shakti (Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation) of the Government of India recommend the release of XV FC Grants to the States for Rural Local Bodies, which are then released by the Ministry of Finance. The allocated grants are released in two installments each financial year.

The Finance Commission Grants contribute to making a big difference in enhancing grassroots democracy, rural local governance, accountability, and self-reliance in villages, the release added.