The Union Ministry of Panchayati Raj today informed the Rajya Sabha that financial support to Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) in Odisha has shown a significant upward trend over the last three Central Finance Commissions.
As per the written reply tabled by Union Minister Shri Rajiv Ranjan Singh alias Lalan Singh, grants recommended for Odisha PRIs rose from ₹2,898.22 crore under the 13th Finance Commission to ₹8,850 crore under the 14th Finance Commission and further to ₹11,058 crore under the 15th Finance Commission – marking nearly a four-fold increase over 15 years.
The Ministry clarified that the final distribution of these grants within the State is decided as per the recommendations of the respective State Finance Commission.
Under the revamped Rashtriya Gram Swaraj Abhiyan (RGSA), a Centrally Sponsored Scheme aimed at capacity building and strengthening of PRIs, the Centre released ₹11.40 crore in 2022-23, ₹27.33 crore in 2023-24 and ₹20.00 crore in 2024-25 (till date) to Odisha. Release of funds under RGSA is linked to timely submission of Annual Action Plans, matching State share, utilisation certificates and pace of expenditure.
A major highlight is the intensive capacity-building drive in the State. Since 2022-23, a cumulative 6,62,345 elected representatives and functionaries of PRIs in Odisha have been trained through State Institutes of Rural Development & Panchayati Raj (SIRD&PR), NIRD&PR, IIMs and District Panchayat Resource Centres. The training modules cover planning, implementation, resource mobilisation, leadership and thematic areas such as health, education, gender equality, environment protection and good governance.
The Ministry emphasised that the RGSA scheme is implemented uniformly across all States/UTs as per approved guidelines with no special flexibility extended to any State.
