By Our Reporter
Shillong, March 28: The opposition in the KHADC on Friday expressed concern over the delay in implementing the tied and untied grants earmarked for rural local bodies under the 15th Finance Commission.
During the question hour on the final day of the budget session, NPP MDC Grace Mary Kharpuri raised the issue, stating that contractors in her constituency who had received the final order for the first instalment of the grants were not permitted to carry out the work.
In response, Executive Member in charge of Development Powel Sohkhlet explained that the delay in implementation might be due to potential violations of the guidelines set by the Ministry of Panchayati Raj. He noted that the Ministry’s 46-page guidelines are strict, and the web portal will not accept proposals for future instalments if the guidelines are not followed.
Sohkhlet also clarified that untied grants can be used for various community-specific needs, such as purchasing PA systems, while tied grants are allocated for critical areas like sanitation.
Earlier, in response to a question raised by Sohiong-Nongspung MDC Synshar Kupar Roy Lyngdoh Thabah, Sohkhlet provided details on the funds received under the 15th Finance Commission for the years 2020-2021 and 2021-2022.
For 2020-2021, Rs 40.95 crore was allocated for both untied and tied grants, while for 2021-2022, Rs 24.25 crore was allocated for untied grants and Rs 36.45 crore for tied grants. He further informed that the work completed under both tied and untied grants was for 2020-2021. The central government had only released the first instalment for 2021-2022 for both grants.
Sohkhlet stated that the work funded by the first instalment is still going on in various areas of the council.