Team Herald
MARGAO: The State Finance Commission has been meeting with Salcete-based panchayats to discuss the dire need for financial support from the government in terms of grants to help develop their villages.
The Commission, led by Daulat Hawaldar along with the Salcete Block Development Officer, recently visited the Rachol village panchayat’s office and interacted with the Sarpanch, panch members, and panchayat secretary to discuss various financial issues.
Sarpanch Joseph Vaz highlighted the difficulties faced by weaker panchayats and urged that panchayats with scheduled tribe populations should be given special attention and financial assistance. Vaz also demanded that existing procedures be made easier and relaxed to ensure sustainable development in the villages.
Last month, the Finance Commission also visited the Chinchinim-Deussua village panchayat, where the Sarpanch and panchayat members put forth several suggestions not only for their village but also
for panchayats in general regarding the funding local bodies should receive.
“We demanded that Octroi be released to local bodies as well as the Grant-in-aid (GIA) funds. That the fund allocation be done as per the population and area. We also gave the option of how additional revenue can be generated to local bodies. For example, granting occasional excise licences. We pointed out that the rates prescribed in the Act are superficial and need to be corrected,” said Sarpanch Valentino Barretto.
Barretto also spoke about the lack of clarity between trade license fees and professional fees of persons conducting business in the village. Post offices are operating as financial institutions but are not paying tax to the panchayat, and the banking sector is not paying proper taxes to local bodies, he added.
The panchayat members also suggested that local bodies be consulted whenever new things are added.
Several gram sabhas in Salcete have raised the issue of how the panchayats should receive more financial support from the State government as well as through the finance commission to carry out various development works. Some panchayats have also complained about how they have suffered since they stopped receiving Octroi tax, which used to be a substantial sum for them.
