New Administrative Committees for GPs set to come in No GP election since 2022; Rs 690 Cr goes waste
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By Our Staff Reporter
IMPHAL, Feb 12: A total of Rs 690 crore has been wasted because of the State Government’s failure to hold elections to local bodies for a protracted period.
Instead of taking up moves to hold the pending elections, the State Government has directed Deputy Commissioners of Imphal West, Imphal East, Bishnupur, Thoubal, Kakching and Jiribam to issue requisite notifications for appointment of Administrative Committee for each Gram Panchayat.
Notably, the term of the last elected Gram Panchayat Members expired in October 2022. However, elections to Gram Panchayat have not been held till date.
Following the expiry of the term of elected Members and in the absence of elected Gram Panchayats, Gram Panchayats are being run by Administrative Committees constituted by the Government.
Now the Government has issued notice to the DCs to constitute fresh Administrative Committees for a period of six months or till the notification of the 6th General Panchayat Election, whichever is earlier.
“The duly constituted Administrative Committee of the concerned Gram Panchayat shall exercise all such powers and discharge all such duties and functions of the Gram Panchayat concerned and the Committees thereof, and the Pradhan or the Up-Pradhan of the Gram panchayat concerned charged with carrying out the provisions of the Manipur Panchayati Raj Act 1994 or any other law”, said the notice issued by Joint Secretary (RD&PR).
But this arrangement of the Government to let Administrative Committees run Gram Panchayats in place of elected Members has robbed the State, particularly Gram Panchayats of a substantial amount.
The 15th Finance Commission whose tenure is from 2021-22 to 2025-26 sanctioned Rs 690 crore for the State’s Rural Local Bodies or Gram Panchayats.
This included Rs 414 crore in the Tied category and Rs 276 crore in the Untied category.
However, the State did not get any funds from this grant of the 15th Finance Commission because there is no elected Gram Panchayat in the State.
The State could have received this grant even if the term of the elected Gram Panchayats had expired had the Govt let the elected Members run the Gram Panchayats instead of handing over all the duties and functions of Gram Pancha-yats to Administrative Committees, sources said.
The tenure of the 15th Finance Commission will expire on March 15, 2026 and it will be replaced by the 16th Finance Commission.
If the State Govt chooses to keep Gram Panchayats under Administrative Committees rather than holding elections to Gram Panchayats, the State, particularly Rural Local Bodies or Gram Panchayats is unlikely to get any grant from the 16th Finance Commission too, the sources added.
IMPHAL, Feb 12: A total of Rs 690 crore has been wasted because of the State Government’s failure to hold elections to local bodies for a protracted period.
Instead of taking up moves to hold the pending elections, the State Government has directed Deputy Commissioners of Imphal West, Imphal East, Bishnupur, Thoubal, Kakching and Jiribam to issue requisite notifications for appointment of Administrative Committee for each Gram Panchayat.
Notably, the term of the last elected Gram Panchayat Members expired in October 2022. However, elections to Gram Panchayat have not been held till date.
Following the expiry of the term of elected Members and in the absence of elected Gram Panchayats, Gram Panchayats are being run by Administrative Committees constituted by the Government.
Now the Government has issued notice to the DCs to constitute fresh Administrative Committees for a period of six months or till the notification of the 6th General Panchayat Election, whichever is earlier.
“The duly constituted Administrative Committee of the concerned Gram Panchayat shall exercise all such powers and discharge all such duties and functions of the Gram Panchayat concerned and the Committees thereof, and the Pradhan or the Up-Pradhan of the Gram panchayat concerned charged with carrying out the provisions of the Manipur Panchayati Raj Act 1994 or any other law”, said the notice issued by Joint Secretary (RD&PR).
But this arrangement of the Government to let Administrative Committees run Gram Panchayats in place of elected Members has robbed the State, particularly Gram Panchayats of a substantial amount.
The 15th Finance Commission whose tenure is from 2021-22 to 2025-26 sanctioned Rs 690 crore for the State’s Rural Local Bodies or Gram Panchayats.
This included Rs 414 crore in the Tied category and Rs 276 crore in the Untied category.
However, the State did not get any funds from this grant of the 15th Finance Commission because there is no elected Gram Panchayat in the State.
The State could have received this grant even if the term of the elected Gram Panchayats had expired had the Govt let the elected Members run the Gram Panchayats instead of handing over all the duties and functions of Gram Pancha-yats to Administrative Committees, sources said.
The tenure of the 15th Finance Commission will expire on March 15, 2026 and it will be replaced by the 16th Finance Commission.
If the State Govt chooses to keep Gram Panchayats under Administrative Committees rather than holding elections to Gram Panchayats, the State, particularly Rural Local Bodies or Gram Panchayats is unlikely to get any grant from the 16th Finance Commission too, the sources added.