The Karnataka government proposes to link the allocation of grants to 5,628 gram panchayats on the basis of their population, instead of the present practice of extending a uniform grant of Rs6 lakh each.
A proposal to enhance the grant taking population as basis and with amounts ranging from Rs10 lakh to Rs15 lakh has been sent to Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa for approval, Minister for Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Jagadish Shettar told reporters here. He said there has been a demand for higher grants by panchayats which have more population.
The government has issued an order establishing a seperate engineering cell for providing drinking water in 11 districts of North Karnataka region, he said. There was a proposal to recruit about 3,000 panchayat development officers, he said. The government recently appointed 250 pancahyat development officers.
