New Delhi, Aug 26: The government on Tuesday said it has released more than Rs 284 crore under the 15th Finance Commission (XV FC) Untied Grants for rural local bodies in three states during the financial year 2025–26.

While Odisha has been allocated Rs 240.8149 crore for 6,085 eligible Gram Panchayats and 63 eligible Block Panchayats, Mizoram has received Rs 14.2761 crore for 827 eligible village councils as part of the 2023–24 grants.

Tripura has been provided Rs. 29.75 crore for 606 eligible Gram Panchayats, 35 eligible Block Panchayats, 8 eligible Zilla Parishads along with all 587 Village Committees and 40 eligible Block Advisory Committees of the state as part of the 1st installment of Untied Grants of the financial year 2025–26.

The government, through Ministry of Panchayati Raj and Ministry of Jal Shakti, recommends release of XV-FC grants to states for rural local bodies (RLBs)/ Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs).

These allocated grants are recommended and released in 2 installments in a financial year.

The Untied Grants will be utilised for location-specific felt needs, except for salaries and other establishment costs.

The Tied Grants can be used for the basic services of sanitation and maintenance of ODF status, and this should include management and treatment of household waste, and human excreta and fecal sludge management in particular and supply of drinking water, rainwater harvesting and water recycling.

In March, the Centre released Rs 436 crore as the second instalment of the Fifteenth Finance Commission grants for rural local bodies in Karnataka and Tripura for the financial year 2024–25, to strengthen local governance and drive rural transformation.

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Meanwhile, the Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, last month approved a total outlay of Rs 6,520 crore, including an additional amount of Rs 1,920 crore, for the ongoing Central sector Pradhan Mantri Kisan Sampada Yojana (PMKSY) during the 15th Finance Commission cycle from 2021-22 to 2025-26.

(IANS)

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