Latest news with #CNarayanaswamy
Time of India
3 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
Dr C Narayanaswamy inspects GP, conducts meetings in Haveri, Davanagere
Haveri: Dr C Narayanaswamy, who chairs the 5th State Finance Commission, conducted an inspection at the Devagiri Gram Panchayat centre alongside commission members on Tuesday. During his visit, they collected comprehensive data about the Gram Panchayat, including its establishment, 5th State Finance Commission meeting outcomes, demographic details, water resources, educational facilities, anganwadi centres, digital infrastructure, JJM scheme implementation, staff information, public lighting, 15th Finance Commission particulars, tax collection records, and the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) Scheme. The team proceeded to examine the local Anganwadi centres and the digital Gram Panchayat facilities. Davanagere visit Dr C Narayanaswamy also visited Davanagere on Monday and spoke during a consultative meeting with representatives and officials from urban and local bodies and gram panchayats of Davangere and Haveri districts on Monday at the ZP auditorium. The commission's district visits for consultative meetings and studies yielded valuable information about challenges faced by gram panchayats and local bodies. This data will facilitate the creation of research reports addressing these concerns and promoting development. The commission plans to present a comprehensive report to the govt regarding local bodies' resource consolidation and infrastructure development capabilities. During this event, the initial report instalment was distributed to the district commissioners of Haveri and Davangere. The chairman reviewed details of funds allocated, released, and utilised by the zilla panchayat for taluk panchayats and gram panchayats from 2016 to 2025. He also assessed allocation, release, and expenditure data for urban and local bodies. He expressed satisfaction that development continued despite staff shortages in urban and local bodies. Local body presidents and gram panchayats of Haveri and Davangere districts participated in the consultative meeting, alongside Panchayat Development Officers, who contributed their views.
Time of India
30-04-2025
- Business
- Time of India
State Finance Commission urges GPs to pay power bills on time
Mandya: Chairman of the 5th State Finance Commission , C Narayanaswamy emphasised the need for GPs to pay electricity bills for streetlights and borewells regularly and on time, utilising their allocated funds. He made this statement during a consultative meeting held at ZP which was attended by elected representatives and officials from both rural and urban local bodies. Narayanaswamy cautioned against the prevailing belief that govt will always reconcile outstanding electricity bills. He referred to the reconciliation process that took place in March 2023, and instructed officials to verify the outstanding bill details provided by Chamundeshwari Electricity Supply Corporation (CESC) before making payments. Highlighting inefficiencies, he noted that several unused borewells under the GPs' control still have active power connections. He recommended that such connections be promptly disconnected to prevent unnecessary charges. Additionally, he advised officials to scrutinise bills carefully, as they may sometimes include outdated charges, and to ensure only valid amounts are paid. ZP CEO KR Nandini addressed the issue of overlapping guidelines in plan formulation between district and taluk panchayats. She stressed the need for co-ordinated planning to avoid duplication and proposed granting permissions for the management of public assets such as drinking water facilities and roads. Discussing utilising scheduled caste sub plan (SCSP) and tribal sub plan (TSP) grants, Nandini observed that population distribution varies across regions. She suggested that the existing guidelines be relaxed, to allow the redistribution of unutilised funds from areas with smaller SC/ST populations to those with larger communities, ensuring more equitable resource allocation. Nandini also requested a revision of the current cap, which limits road development expenditure to just 10%. She advocated for greater flexibility to address critical infrastructure needs. The meeting was attended by presidents, vice-presidents, and gram panchayat members, town municipalities, and city municipalities. District panchayat's planning director Dhanush, provided an overview of the institutional framework, operations, staffing, budgets, expenditures, and financial flows from both State and Central govts. Mayannagowda, planning director of urban development cell, elaborated on urban local body operations, such as tax collection, water supply, drainage, street lighting, and solid waste management.
