Hyderabad: Telangana Panchayat Raj and Rural Development Minister Danasari Anasuya Seethakka called for stronger financial management in gram panchayats and urged local bodies to adopt planned governance for sustainable village development.
The Minister addressed a Gram Panchayat Comprehensive Development Plan and Sarpanch Training Programme at Leela Garden in Mulugu. She said the government organised the programme to strengthen gram panchayats and improve public services.
The training familiarised newly elected sarpanches, deputy sarpanches and gram panchayat secretaries with village administration, legal provisions, financial management and development planning.
Seethakka urged elected representatives to understand their powers, responsibilities and financial rules before taking up development works. Meanwhile, she asked them to prepare annual action plans based on local needs. She also encouraged public participation through gram sabhas.
Gram panchayats must follow funding guidelines
The Minister directed sarpanches to use 16th Finance Commission funds strictly according to official guidelines. Further, she asked them to understand expenditure rules, approved works and fund utilisation norms. She recalled that some sarpanches had faced difficulties because they ignored the prescribed guidelines.
According to Seethakka, tied funds, untied funds, State Finance Commission grants and gram panchayat own-source revenues each have separate rules. She urged local bodies to improve tax and fee collection to strengthen their finances.
Additionally, she asked officials to prioritise drinking water, sanitation, solid waste management, street lighting, greenery, roads, drainage, public health and other basic infrastructure through the GPDP. She stressed that authorities should execute every project with transparency, accountability and quality.
The Minister clarified that special funds allocated through MLAs, ministers and other government schemes follow separate guidelines. She said authorities should not mix those funds with gram panchayat funds. She urged local representatives and officials to work together to build self-reliant villages and achieve the government’s rural development goals.
Before the Minister’s address, Additional Collector (Local Bodies) Sampath Rao and Swachh Bharat Mission Director and Mulugu district Special Officer Suresh Babu briefed sarpanches on the training programme. They also highlighted the important role of elected representatives in village development.
గ్రామ పంచాయతీలను ఆర్థికంగా బలోపేతం చేయాలి.
ప్రణాళికాబద్ధమైన పాలనతోనే గ్రామాభివృద్ధి సాధ్యం.
గ్రామాభివృద్ధిలో సర్పంచులదే కీలక పాత్ర.
16వ ఆర్థిక సంఘం నిధులను నిబంధనల ప్రకారమే వినియోగించాలి.
రాష్ట్ర పంచాయతీరాజ్, గ్రామీణాభివృద్ధి, గ్రామీణ నీటి సరఫరా, మహిళా, శిశు సంక్షేమ శాఖ… pic.twitter.com/Ea0s9FfwTR
— IPRDepartment (@IPRTelangana) July 9, 2026