MARGAO: The budget estimates for the current year prepared by 30 panchayats from Salcete reveal that they have miserably failed to utilise funds allotted to them. Twenty-five panchayats have over Rs 1 crore of unutilised funds which are shown as Opening Balance in the budget estimates.
Only four panchayats having less than Rs 1 crore of Opening Balance are Macasana (Rs 59,42,156); Ilha de Rachol (Rs 82,14,039); Rumdamol-Davorlim (Rs 82,64,253) and Paroda (Rs 98,26,491).
Interestingly, Raia panchayat has not even indicated its opening balance, which has not been pointed out by any senior official of the government or villagers as the budget estimates are necessarily approved by the gram sabha.
The unused funds by the 29 panchayats amount to over Rs 80 crore with the seven coastal panchayats from Salcete having over Rs 28 crore of these.
The total Opening Balance of the 29 panchayats is a whopping Rs 80,28,60,664. The seven coastal panchayats namely Betalbatim, Seraulim, Sernabatim-Vanelim-Colva-Gandaulim, Cana-Benaulim, Varca, Carmona and Cavelossim in total have an Opening Balance of Rs 28,30,09,778.
Three panchayats having the highest Opening Balance are: Loutolim (Rs 10,37,50,511); Cana-Benaulim (Rs 7,75,00,000) and Sernabatim-Vanelim-Colva-Gandaulim (Rs 6,80,00,000).
The Union Government releases funds directly to panchayats under the Finance Commission and surprisingly 17 panchayats from Salcete are yet to utilise funds received under the 14th Finance Commission, though they were meant to be used by the end of 2021-22.
However, as panchayats did not utilise the funds by then, they were given a year’s extension. Now they have been given another extension.
Block Development Officer Paritosh Faldessai disclosed that the panchayats have now been sent a directive by the Centre that they will not receive any grants under the 15th Finance Commission unless they utilise the funds under 14th Finance Commission.
The total funds received under 14th Finance Commission which are not utilised by the panchayats from Salcete amount to Rs 3,37,89,027.
San Jose de Areal in its budget has shown it has not used an amount of Rs 60,00,00 received under the 14th and 15th Finance Commission and this figure is shown jointly.
Panchayats that are yet to utilise funds received under 14th Finance Commission
Panchayat Un Utilised Funds in Rs
Nuvem 60,00,000
Velim 46,50,000
Navelim 34,83,000
Cana-Benaulim 31,05,827
Chandor-Cavorim 29,10,000
Seraulim 20,00,000
Davorlim-Dicarpale 20,11,000
Macasana 11,00,000
Colva 8,43,436
Ambelim 5,55,342
Dramapur-Sirlim 5,00,000
Cavelossim 2,02,422
Raia 2,00,000
Telaulim 1,00,000
Curtorim 1,00,000
Camorlim 28,000
21 panchayats have failed to utilise a whopping nearly Rs 5.81 crore received under the 15th Finance Commission.
The panchayats that have the highest amount of unused funds received under 15th Finance Commission are Sernabatim-Vanelim-Colva-Gandaulim and Cana Benaulim (Rs 90,00,000 each); Guirdolim (Rs 50,00,000) and Curtorim (Rs 49,00,000).
The three panchayats with the least balance of funds received under 15th Finance Commission are Davorlim-Dicarpale (Rs 60,000); Sarzora (Rs 2,10,906) and Camorlim (Rs 5,00,000).
The other panchayats that have balance of funds received under 15th Commission are: Cavelossim (Rs 45,00,000); Dramapur-Sirlim (Rs 36,23,840); Carmona (Rs 35,00,000); Varca (Rs 31,98,542); Nuvem (Rs 30,00,000); Raia (Rs 22,98,287); Chandor-Cavorim (Rs 18,00,000); Navelim (Rs 16,22,000); Ambelim (Rs 15,00,000); Telaulim (Rs 11,19,901); Seraulim and Orlim (Rs 10,00,000 each); Macasana (Rs 7,00,000) and Loutolim (Rs 5,55,000).
It would be pertinent to note that panchayats having a balance of less than Rs 5 lakh indicate that they have utilised most funds sanctioned and what is remaining is the nominal amount.
All the panchayats in the State were given Rs 55 lakh each to celebrate the Golden Jubilee and Diamond Jubilee of Goa’s Liberation. However, 11 panchayats from Salcete have to still utilise all these funds and the total amount remaining unutilised is Rs 4.39 crore.
Raia and Cavelossim panchayats have only Rs 3 lakh each remaining to be utilized from funds received under Liberation Jubilee, while Navelim has the highest amount of Rs 53 lakh remaining to be used and Sarzora has to still spend Rs 30 lakh.
Seven panchayats namely Ambelim, Chandor-Cavorim, Nuvem, Sernabatim-Vanelim-Colva-Gandaulim, Varca, Orlim and Carmona are yet to utilise Rs 50 lakh each.
All these panchayats have to utilise these funds preferably by the end of the current year or at least by the end of the current financial year or else the funds will have to be returned to the department.
Panchayats yet to utilise funds received under Liberation Jubilees
Panchayats Un-utilised funds in Rs
Navelim 53,00,000
Sarzora 30,00,000
Ambelim 50,00,000
Chandor-Cavorim 50,00,000
Nuvem 50,00,000
Colva 50,00,000
Varca 50,00,000
Orlim 50,00,000
Carmona 50,00,000
Raia 3,00,000
Cavelossim 3,00,000
BDO Paritosh Faldessai assured that the government was very serious about panchayats utilising these funds as they were disbursed by the State government.
“Panchayats are independent bodies and the government cannot really monitor their functioning. They are supposed to work for the benefit of the villages, it is for the villagers to decide what is to be done when the elected panchayats fail to do so,” he said pointing out that the panchayats compulsorily hold four general and four special gram sabhas in a year when people can question the panchayat functioning.