Govt sanctions ₹7,255 crore to strengthen panchayati raj institutions

The Centre has earmarked ₹7,255.5 crore under the Rashtriya Gram Swaraj Abhiyan (RGSA) scheme for undertaking initiatives to strengthen panchayati raj institutions in the country, Panchayati Raj Minister Narendra Singh Tomar said Tuesday.

Replying to a question in the Lok Sabha, he said the RGSA aims at strengthening governance capabilities of PRIs to deliver on sustainable development goals under which financial support is provided to states and Union Territories.

"...The government has launched the centrally sponsored scheme of Rashtriya Gram Swaraj Abhiyan, which is being implemented for four years from 2018-19 to 2021-22 with total outlay of ₹7255.50 crore," the minister said in his written reply.

The ministry has been providing programmatic support for strengthening of Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) and capacity building of elected representatives and functionaries of PRIs to improve their functioning and effectiveness and make them self-reliant, he said.

The activities undertaken under RGSA include capacity building and training, human resource and training infrastructure support, strengthening of Gram Sabha, distance learning support, technical support, economic development and income enhancement, the minister added.