New Delhi, Oct 21 (IANS) The Centre has released over Rs 730 crore to strengthen rural local bodies in Gujarat and Haryana as part of the 15th Finance Commission grants during the financial year 2025-26.

A sum of Rs 522.2 crore has been disbursed to Gujarat for all 38 District Panchayats, 247 eligible Block Panchayats, and 14,547 eligible Gram Panchayats of the State as the 2nd instalment of Untied Grants for the Financial Year 2024–25. Further Rs 13.6 crore of the withheld portion of the first instalment of Untied Grants for FY 2024–25 has also been released to additionally eligible six District Panchayats, five Block Panchayats and 78 Gram Panchayats.

In the case of Haryana, the Centre has released the first instalment of Untied Grants for FY 2025–26 amounting to Rs 195.1 crore for 18 District Panchayats, 134 eligible Block Panchayats, and 6,164 Gram Panchayats of the state.

The untied grants will be utilised by rural local bodies for location-specific felt needs, under the 29 subjects enshrined in the Eleventh Schedule of the Constitution, except for salaries and other establishment costs, the statement explained.

The tied grants can be used for the basic services of sanitation and maintenance of ODF (open defecation-free) status, and this should include management and treatment of household waste, and human excreta and fecal sludge management in particular. These grants can also be used for the supply of drinking water, rainwater harvesting and water recycling.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Panchayati Raj has launched initiatives such as SabhaSaar — an AI-powered tool for recording and summarising Gram Sabha proceedings, SVAMITVA for digital land mapping and property rights, eGramSwaraj for integrated online planning, accounting and monitoring. Besides, Gram Manchitra has been rolled out for geo-spatial planning. These platforms not only improve transparency and efficiency but also empower citizens to participate more actively in local governance.

–IANS

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