TDP promises more powers to local bodies

By Our Special Correspondent

HYDERABAD, JUNE 29. The Telugu Desam Party has promised devolution of more powers to panchayat raj bodies in its election manifesto which was released by Mr. N. Chandrababu Naidu on the eve of launching his party's poll campaign at Tirupati on June 30.

The manifesto, the first of its kind for the panchayat polls, pledges enactment of a legislation empowering gram sabhas to take policy decisions for development of villages, creation of district planning committees in place of existing district development and review committees and constitution of tribunals to try cases of misappropriation of panchayat funds.

Mr. Naidu took time off from his unfinished seat adjustment talks with the BJP to release the 23-page document at a news conference at the NTR Memorial Trust along with Dr. Umareddi Venkateswarlu, who drafted the manifesto, Mr. K. Yerran Naidu, and Ms. Vanga Geetha, all MPs.

The TDP chief said the objective of his party was to bolster the funds, functions and functionaries of panchayat institutions. He said village development plans would be at the bottom of the approach with gram sabhas drawing up plans and the panchayat boards being responsible for their execution. A sarpanch could no longer spend funds on his whims but distribute them equitably in each ward after habitation-wise gram sabhas.

The manifesto also proposes the integration of panchayat bodies and self-help groups (SHGs) so that financial resources of the former and human resources of the latter can be utilised for achieving the goal of ``Swarna Andhra Pradesh.'' In tune with a Cabinet sub-committee's recommendations, the Government had decided to constitute advisory and functional committees for each panchayat and allow them to co-opt SHG members.

Mr. Naidu went hammer and tongs at the Congress for not holding panchayat elections in time earlier in 1969, 1975 and 1992. In contrast, the TDP held timely polls in 1987 and again in 1995 though the present polls were delayed due to the Congress party's intransigence on reverting to the three-tier system. He had a dig at the party for saying that any move to change the five-tier system would haunt Rajiv Gandhi's soul.

He detailed the steps his Government had taken for giving more administrative and financial powers in tune with the recommendations of the State Finance Commission and the Tenth Finance Commission. In the last two years alone, it had transferred a sum of Rs. 1,200 crores to the panchayat bodies.

Naidu's tour programme

Meanwhile, the party finalised Mr. Naidu's tour programme for the next four days. He will fly from Tirupati to Kollipara in Guntur district to address a public meeting on Saturday. On July 1, he will address a public meeting at Banaganapalle in Kurnool district and on July 2 at Kosigi, Kodangal in Mahabubnagar district, Nekkonda in Warangal district and Tallampadu in Khammam district. On July 3, he will campaign in Nandigama, S. Kota and Atchuthapuram, all in Visakhapatnam district.

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Section  : Southern States
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