Committee airs plight of local bodies to MP Bimol
Source: Chronicle News Service

Imphal, October 14 2024: Members of Adhoc Committee of All Manipur Elected PRIs of 2017 submitted a memorandum to Manipur's Lok Sabha Member of Parliament Angomcha Bimol Akoijam at his Keishamthong residence on Monday highlighting miserable situation of rural localbodies of Manipur namely Gram Panchayats and Zilla Parishads.

It requested the MP to impress upon the Union Minister of Panchayati Raj to facilitate smooth functioning of the local bodies.

The seven-point memorandum also mentioned inordinate delay in conduct of Panchayat elections and arbitrary formation of Administrative Committees of Zilla Parishads and Gram Panchayats by the state government.

Informing that tenure of representatives elected in the 5 th General Panchayat Election 2017 had lapsed in October 2022 but elections kept pending for the last 23 months, the memorandum pointed out that such administrative apathy is gross violation of provisions of the Constitution of India and the Manipur Panchayati Raj Act 1994 (and Amendment Act of 1996) .

It also specified that in the execution of Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Generation Scheme in Manipur, there is a share of 25 per cent mandays meant for implementation by the Line Department (commonly known as LD share) through local MLAs.

As such work allocation to MLAs is not practiced in any other state, it is clear instance of undue intervention in the.

affairs of rural local bodies by the MLAs, it claimed, further informing that there is no smooth fund flow as grants/funds of schemes are not released according to the plan.

State Finance Commission awards allocated for Gram Panchayats and Zilla Parishads are also very meagre as compared to other states of India.

Moreover, frequent lapses of funds are reported in Manipur due to inordinate delay in release by the state government.

Central Finance Commission funds are also not released on time due to non-compliance to norms of utilisation certificates by the state government, it contended, while adding that the state government delayed implementation of Manipur Panchayati Raj Act 2023 (8 Amendment), which provides for establishment of Intermediate Panchayat or Panchayat Samitis, even after it was published in the Gazette on February 22 2023, which is another instance of violation of the law.

The memorandum also categorically stated that the Ad-hoc committee is not satisfied attitude of RD & PR minister Yumnam Khemchand, who declined appointment proposals by members of the Adhoc Committee on three occasions.

The appointment was sought to highlight points and suggestions for smooth functioning of rural local bodies in Manipur and improve the status of grassroots level democratic governance in the state, said the memorandum.

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