Latest news with #GO
New Indian Express
a day ago
- Business
- New Indian Express
Holistic steps needed to bring communities together in Coastal Karnataka
The state government, earlier this week, set up a Special Action Force (SAF) to curb communal violence in Coastal Karnataka. It is a welcome move to improve policing in the region that has witnessed many revenge killings and communal flare-ups. But the SAF alone will not be enough to ensure lasting peace and communal harmony. There is a need for a holistic approach to strengthen the social fabric. By constituting the special force, the government has shown its intent and resolve to tackle the serious issues impacting the districts that are otherwise doing remarkably well in various indices. As per the latest Economic Survey, Bangalore Urban's Gross District Domestic Product (GDDP) is Rs 9,98,659 crore with 39.1% contribution to State GDP, followed by Dakshina Kannada with 5.4%; Bangalore Urban district per capita income is Rs 7,38,910 is the highest among all the districts, again followed by Dakshina Kannada at Rs 5,56,059 and Udupi at Rs 5,33,469. In the Human Development Index, industry, and services sectors, Dakshina Kannada is the second place after Bengaluru Urban. The coastal districts in the state are also known for their top-quality higher education institutions that attract students from different parts of the state, even the country. However, on the flip side, this region remains communally hyper-sensitive, and that could impact its developmental prospects. Frequent communal incidents bring a sense of fragility to peace in the region, requiring constant vigil to maintain it. Even the Government Order (GO) constituting the SAF cites the state police chief's recent letter expressing concern over an increase in communal incidents in Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts, and the potential of smaller incidents quickly evolving into major challenges to maintain law and order.
Time of India
2 days ago
- Time of India
HC directs Ramnad collector to verify crop damage, pay insurance to farmer
Madurai: Taking into account that a farmer who suffered crop damage was yet to receive the insurance amount due to the incorrect registration of his village name, Madras high court directed the Ramanathapuram district collector to verify details of the crop damage and ensure that the insurance amount is paid to him. The court was hearing the petition filed by M Shanmugam. The petitioner suffered damage to his crop in 2018-19. The petitioner took crop insurance for that year. Despite the failure of the crop, the insurance amount was not paid to him. Shanmugam stated that upon verification, he discovered that instead of registering the damage in 'Vellamarichukatti village', it was wrongly entered as 'Kalari village'. Due to the mismatch in the village name, the insurance amount was not paid to him. Hence, the petitioner moved court seeking a direction to release the crop insurance amount to him for 2018-2019. Justice V Lakshminarayanan observed that the court dealt with a similar matter earlier. The state govt issued a GO in 2021 to address incidents related to the wrong entry of revenue villages. In terms of the GO, a corpus fund was created. If, due to some error in uploading the details, the claim is rejected, the govt directed that the farmers would be paid out of the corpus fund by the concerned district collector. Hence, the judge directed the Ramanathapuram district collector to verify the details of the crop damage suffered by the petitioner and take all necessary steps in line with the 2021 GO to ensure that the insurance amount is paid to the petitioner within four weeks.
Hindustan Times
2 days ago
- Business
- Hindustan Times
Own-source income incentive scheme for low-population panchayats in U.P.
Small-population village panchayats in Uttar Pradesh will now receive government assistance equal to five times the revenue they generate on their own under a new incentive scheme aimed at strengthening financially weak rural bodies. The 'Own Resource Income-Based Panchayat Compensation and Incentive Scheme,' notified by the government, targets 12,087 gram panchayats with populations up to 1,500. These include 252 panchayats with fewer than 1,000 residents and 11,835 with populations between 1,001 and 1,500 as per the 2011 Census. Additional chief secretary, panchayati raj, Anil Kumar issued a GO (government order) introducing the scheme here early this week. The scheme is aimed at addressing the long-standing funding gap that hampers the functioning of smaller panchayats, which often struggle to meet routine expenses such as sanitation, drinking water, electricity, and maintenance of community assets. Population-based fund allocation leaves these panchayats with little support despite their critical role in grassroots governance. Many of these smaller panchayats, the GO points out, face a financial crunch due to increasing responsibilities at the village level. With the expansion of rural development activities and establishment of panchayat secretariats, they are now required to meet recurring expenses such as salaries of pradhans, panchayat assistants/accountants-cum-data entry operators, caretakers as well as pay electricity bills, like for stray cow shelters and panchayat secretariats etc. However, limited fund allocation based on population often falls short of meeting these obligations by small local rural bodies. Eligible panchayats under the new incentive-based scheme will be compensated based on verified own-source revenue (OSR) collected in the previous financial year from local resources like market stalls, ponds, waste collection, community halls, common service centres and other assets listed under Section 37 of the UP Panchayat Raj Act, 1947. They can collect revenue from local sources such as taxes, fees, fines and rents. District magistrates will certify these earnings. Funds under the scheme will be routed through the State Finance Commission and can only be used for approved development activities — not for honorariums or salaries. A dedicated digital portal will be developed to monitor panchayat income and disbursal, with 0.05% of the scheme's allocation set aside for its upkeep. As per the 2011 Census, out of over 57,,691 gram panchayats in the state, nearly 25% have populations below 1,500. These panchayats often get disproportionately lower funds compared to larger panchayats due to the 90:10 allocation ratio based on total and Scheduled Caste/Tribe populations respectively. The scheme will not only reward such panchayats but also promote transparency and accountability by mandating proper documentation of income sources through the OSMARO portal. Panchayats will have to upload records of income from markets, tourism-related receipts, community hall rentals, and other services. District-level committees led by the district magistrate will assess the eligibility of panchayats and recommend the amount of incentive to be awarded. The incentive could go up to five times the panchayat's own income deposited in the designated account. The GO mandates that all incentive amounts be used strictly as per the guidelines set by the state and central governments. 'Despite having functional secretariats and sanitation infrastructure, most gram panchayats lack mobility and operational resources. This scheme marks a shift towards rewarding self-reliance and incentivising rural bodies to build their own financial base,' a senior panchayati raj official said. The initiative, he pointed out, was in line with the spirit of the 73rd Constitutional Amendment, which sought to empower panchayati raj institutions and decentralise development planning to the grassroots.
Hans India
2 days ago
- Politics
- Hans India
Govt bid to loot temple lands: YSRCP
Guntur: YSRCP senior leader and former MLA Malladi Vishnu vehemently condemned the TDP-led coalition government's move to allocate temple lands without transparent public auctions, as outlined in GO Ms No 139, issued on May 2, this year. In a statement released to media, he described the order, which amends the Andhra Pradesh Charitable and Hindu Religious Institutions and Endowments Immovable Properties and Other Rights Leases and Licenses Rules, 2003, as a 'sinister attempt' to plunder the sacred assets of Andhra Pradesh's temples. He highlighted that the Endowments Department manages 4.67 lakh acres of temple lands, a sacred trust meant to sustain religious institutions. He criticised the TDP government, led by Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu, for permitting the leasing of these lands to select organisations under the pretext of 'charitable activities' for up to 33 years at nominal rates, bypassing mandatory public auctions. He stressed that this move violates High Court and Supreme Court rulings, which mandate auctions for leasing temple lands and require prior court approval for any transfers.
India Today
3 days ago
- Politics
- India Today
Temple lands not lentil, jaggery to be given away: Jagan Reddy's party leader
YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) senior leader and former MLA Malladi Vishnu on Friday criticised the Chandrababu Naidu-led coalition government's recent move to allocate temple lands without public auctions. He called it a 'sinister attempt' to hand over sacred assets to favoured organisations under the guise of was referring to a Government Order (GO) issued on May 2, which amends the 2003 lease and license rules under the Andhra Pradesh Charitable and Hindu Religious Institutions Act. The order allows temple lands to be leased for up to 33 years at nominal rates without auctions, which Vishnu says violates court-mandated procedures and undermines temple lands are not political spoils to be distributed like lentils and jaggery,' said Vishnu. He accused the TDP government of bypassing both cabinet approval and legal safeguards, enabling select groups to access temple lands worth thousands of crores. Citing past controversies, Vishnu recalled how during the TDP's 2014-19 tenure, an attempt was made to offload 83 acres of Sadavarti Satram land near Chennai for Rs 22 crore, until a legal battle and re-auction, led by YSRCP, brought in Rs 60 warned that with 87,000 acres of temple lands already under encroachment and only 1.6 lakh acres generating revenue, the new GO could pave the way for massive asset for the immediate withdrawal of the order, Vishnu said YSRCP would explore all legal avenues to protect temple lands and urged devotees and religious groups to join the resistance. 'Temple lands are a sacred trust, not real estate for political allies,' he Watch IN THIS STORY#Andhra Pradesh
