Sri Vijaya Puram, Oct. 18: Shri Bishnu Pada Ray, Hon’ble Member of Parliament, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, has appealed to the Hon’ble Lieutenant Governor, Dr. Dinesh Sharma, to provide interim financial assistance to Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) in the Islands on the lines of the ₹18.36 crore Grant-in-Aid released to the Sri Vijaya Puram Municipal Council.
In his appeal, the MP expressed gratitude to the Lieutenant Governor for releasing funds to the Municipal Council to meet expenditure on essential civic amenities, including internal roads, bridges, water supply, sanitation and other basic services.
He pointed out that the PRIs, comprising 2 Zilla Parishads, 7 Panchayat Samitis and 70 Gram Panchayats, are facing severe financial difficulties in discharging their responsibilities and meeting the basic needs of rural people due to inadequate financial assistance.
The situation is particularly serious in North and Middle Andaman, where Gram Panchayats are unable to meet public demands and undertake development works approved by them due to a shortage of funds. The MP also highlighted the limited support available under various schemes, including the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY), Central Road Fund (CRF) and Special Financial Assistance.
Shri Ray urged the Lieutenant Governor to consider releasing an appropriate amount of Grant-in-Aid to PRIs as an interim relief measure so that rural local bodies can address pressing public needs, particularly roads, bridges, drinking water supply, sanitation and other essential civic amenities.
He emphasised that timely financial assistance would provide much-needed relief to rural communities and strengthen the functioning of local self-government institutions across the Islands.