the goan I network
PANAJI
Panchayat Minister Mauvin Godinho has promised to try and appoint one panchayat secretary per village panchayat even as he promised to fulfill most of the demands by the elected panchas.
“Firstly, we cannot give a full-time secretary to each and every panchayat. But at the same time, we are in the process of recruiting (more panchayat secretaries)… yesterday itself the posts were sanctioned,” Mauvin Godinho said while speaking at the inaugural function of the day long State Level convention of Elected Representatives and Functionaries of PRIS at Taleigao today.
This state-level convention was organized by the Directorate of Panchayats in collaboration with The Goa Institute of Public Administration and Rural Development (GIPARD).
“You all have had many demands. Some of you wanted an increase in remuneration others to increase the allocation of government funding for handling garbage, more powers and being made more autonomous as well as a general increase in allocation. By April most of them will be fulfilled,” Godinho said.
Godinho lamented that panchayats did not forward proposals for works to be completed which he said resulted in funds remaining unutilised. “Funds will never be constrained. Under the fourteenth finance commission, we have around Rs 27 crores which are to be spent directly at the panchayat level. Money from the centre has been spent across Goa. It doesn’t even come to us (state government), we only give the permissions that you can spend this. So far we have utilized is only Rs 4.5 crore. During this term, you can get as much as Rs 150 crores. So which panchayat has done its homework?” Godinho said.
“Very few panchayats are continuously sending proposals. You have to think about this. It’s not as if there is no money. We want to give the permissions,” Godinho said.
The Director of GIRARD Samuel Mathews who was guest of honour for the function while speaking advised the participants to take stock of various requirements of their respective villages.
