BY NESHWIN ALMEIDA
neshwin_almeida@gomantaktimes.com
PANJIM: The village panchayat of Sirsaim in Bardez taluka though financially sound with a panchayat fund of Rs 2.7 lakh but just does not have the drive to go the extra mile.
The panchayat has not submitted their Annual Action Plan to the Zilla Panchyat or to any District Rural Development Agencies (DRDA), therefore missing out on grants-in aid for schemes that benefit the village, revealed the audit report of the year 2007-08.
One of the major schemes that the village panchayat missed out on is the central sponsored Sampoorna Grameen Rozgar Yojana (SGRY). The objective of this scheme is to provide additional wage employment, provide food security and improve nutritional levels.
SGRY provides assistance to those interested in farming and 5% of the funds and produce under the SGRY is retained in the Ministry of Wage Employment Generation for utilisation in the areas of acute distress arising out of natural calamities or for taking up preventive measures in the chronically drought or flood affected rural areas. Also in case of scarcity in another area or 50 % of the funds and produce will be earmarked for the village.
The local governing body received Rs 7.3 lakh as grants under the XIIth Finance Commission and grants for various salaries and for Octroi. On its part it collected 56% of the total taxes with arrears of Rs 1.4 lakh and a current demand of Rs 1.8 lakh. The panchayat was poised to collect Rs 3.9 lakh in taxes but managed to collect Rs 1.9 lakh.
The panchayat had no new cases of illegal constructions. The panchayat however failed to take action against the 17 pending illegal construction.
In terms of development the works executed by the panchayat is firstly a roads at the cost Rs 1.8 lakh and Rs 76,580 on repairs of wells, zor, cleaning of gutters, bands and clearing bushes.
The estimates however for road construction and maintenance of wells and gutters Rs 5.2 lakh and Rs 1.3 lakh respectively. Closing balance for the year in terms of total funds of the village stands at Rs 8.7 lakh.
