To realize the dream of Gram Swaraj, it is necessary that the Gram Panchayats should be empowered and be financially self-dependent.
For this, Panchayats should increase their sources of income by increasing public service and collecting taxes, using their powers along with their duties.
In view of this, the efforts made by the Panchayat and Rural Development Department in Madhya Pradesh have started showing their impact.
Recently, many such examples have surfaced where people’s trust and the spirit of cooperation towards Panchayats has increased, besides Panchayats have collected tax and generated a good income by providing various types of public facilities.
In Barora Panchayat of Betul district, Rs 6 lakh 76 thousand have been collected in the form of property and profession tax in a very short time. Income has been increased by increasing the rent of 67 shops in Dunawa Panchayat of the same district.
There are many such examples in the state where Panchayats have collected a substantial amount in return of facilities provided to the people.
Panchayats are also getting an additional income from water structures strengthened in Pushkar Dharovar Abhiyan and economic activities carried out in Amrit Sarovar etc. With improved economic condition of the Panchayats, the wheel of rural development will spin rapidly.
New records are being set in the implementation of the schemes of Panchayat and Rural Development Department. In the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana, a record has been made of completing 10 lakh houses in just 17 months from the month of April 2021 till now.
It is worth mentioning that efforts are being made by the government for rapid development in rural areas for self-reliance.
The most important link in rural development is the Gram Panchayat. Efforts are being made to make Panchayats financially self-reliant along with increasing the participation of the community in the activities and decisions of Panchayats.
The department is also getting success in these efforts. Due to positive changes coming at the Panchayat level, the implementation of the schemes of the government has improved to a great extent. As a result of this, Bhopal district has been awarded at the national level for cleanliness in gram panchayats.
It should be noted that in the year 2021, the department had made a record of constructing more than 1 lakh Pradhan Mantri Awas from 15th August to 15th September during the rainy season.
A total of 28 lakh 43 thousand houses have been completed since the beginning of the housing scheme from April 2016 till now, out of which a record has been made by completing 10 lakh houses in a short period of 17 months from April 2021 till now.
It proves that the department is working sensitively at every level. Due to this, the eligible beneficiaries are getting maximum benefits in the shortest possible time.
Principal Secretary Panchayat and Rural Development Umakant Umrao informed that work is being done by making a strategy to make the panchayats more strong.
From the state level officers to the district, block and panchayat level, the role of everyone is fixed.
Improvement has been possible only due to intensive monitoring and cooperative behavior. Efforts are being made to increase the sources of income of Panchayats.
The officers of Panchayat Samitis are being made aware constantly with the help of departmental staff to increase their sources of income while reducing the dependence on financial assistance and grant money given by the government to the Panchayats.
Shri Umrao said that the speed of implementation of the schemes has been increased only by identifying those doing good work in the department and encouraging them and adopting strict attitude towards those who are less interested in the work.
For this, it is necessary to closely connect with the departmental staff, identify their capabilities and keep monitoring and alerting them on regular basis.
For the past few years, a positive environment has been created to collect taxes by imposing various types of fees, taxes, etc. to be collected at the Panchayat level by making continuous efforts.
Awareness has come for collection of taxes, fees, rent, fines etc. to be levied in Panchayats and Panchayats are becoming financially self-reliant, due to which the pace of development of rural areas is increasing.
For example, since April last month in Kaanwan Panchayat of Badnawar Janpad Panchayat of Dhar district, about Rs 63 lakh market fee and about Rs 10 lakh 50 thousand have been collected as animal market fee and other taxes.
A campaign was started seven months ago by the Badora Panchayat of Betul district to collect property tax and profession tax.
The Gram Panchayat has given the responsibility of this work to the Siddhi Vinayak Aajeevika Self-Help Group formed in the Madhya Pradesh State Rural Livelihood Mission.
Chairperson of the group, Smt. Poonam Masodkar, along with the members of her group, started the recovery work in the month of February.
Her group collected tax of about Rs.6 lakh 76 thousand.
The self-help group is also helping in the collection of water supply tax and other taxes in the panchayat.
Similarly, 67 shops of Dunawa Panchayat of Multai of Betul district was given on a monthly rent of Rs 15,000 for a long time. Now the rent has been increased, due to which the monthly income is about Rs 1 lakh.
Sarpanch Neelam Palash Kadbe says that facilities are being increased to increase the income of the Panchayat.
A shopping complex is to be built at the bus stand in Dunawa at a cost of about Rs 1.5 crores, which will generate about Rs 3.5 crores from the auction.
In Phulri panchayat of Chawarpatha block of Narsingpur district, about Rs. 3 lakhs and in Amgaon Bada panchayat of Kareli development block, about Rs. 4 lakhs were collected as tax on water supply, sanitation, property tax etc.
Sanitation workers have been deployed for regular sanitation arrangements in the Panchayat.
Since then the amount of cleanliness tax is being received regularly every month.
Rajkumar Patel, Secretary, Manpura Gram Panchayat of Pichore Janpad Panchayat of Shivpuri district informed that about Rs 1.5 lakh have been collected in the last four months in the form of cleanliness, property tax, water tax and other fees etc. Earlier the recovery used to be less, now it is increasing.
With the efforts of the department, where the facilities available to the people are increasing in the panchayats, in return the sources of income of the panchayats are increasing and the dependence of the panchayats on government grants is decreasing.
Along with tax collection, various economic activities have led to increased sources of income in Panchayats.
In the Pushkar Dharohar Samridhi Abhiyan, thousands of old water structures have been revamped and made useful again.
Economic activities like fish farming, Singhada production has been started in the ponds built in Amrit Sarovar and the ponds restored under Pushkar Heritage.
These have also increased the income of the panchayats.
The state is moving ahead to fulfill Mahatma Gandhi’s dream of self-reliant Panchayats, Purna Gram Swaraj and strong Panchayats.
