Bhubaneswar: Centre disbursed Rs 455 crore as 15th Finance Commission grants to Odisha on Wednesday. The allocation includes Rs 370.2 crore as the second instalment of untied grants for 2024-25, along with Rs 84.5 crore of previously withheld first instalment funds. The grants will benefit 6,794 gram panchayats, 314 panchayat samitis and 30 zilla parishads across the state.
Panchayati raj institutions (PRIs) and rural local bodies can utilise the untied grants for addressing area-specific requirements within the 29 subjects listed in the Eleventh Schedule of the Constitution, excluding establishment costs and salaries. The tied grants are designated for essential services, including sanitation maintenance, ODF status preservation, household waste management, faecal sludge treatment, drinking water provision and water conservation initiatives.
Central govt authorises the release of these grants to states for rural local bodies, with the allocated funds being disbursed in two instalments during each financial year. “The grants provided to PRIs/rural local bodies play a crucial role in strengthening grassroots democracy. This financial support is improving rural local governance, enhancing accountability, and promoting self-reliance in villages,” said an official statement of the ministry of panchayati raj.
Centre also released Rs 614 crore for Rajasthan as the second instalment of untied grants of the 2024-25 financial year.