KCR: Centre’s policies weakened panchayats

E-PoS system causing hardships to farmers, says CM

Continuing his tirade on the Centre, Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao on Thursday said that the Centre has adopted “wicked policies” to weaken the panchayat raj system in the country.

Speaking in the Legislative Assembly, Mr Rao held consecutive governments at the Centre responsible for the present plight of gram panchayats. He said that the panchayat raj system which was started as a part of community development at the village level in the 1950s, but has now been politicised, departmentalised and suffocated to death by the consecutive parties ruling at the Centre over the years.

Mr Rao also came down heavily on the NDA government for implementing E-PoS system, making the use of biometrics compulsory to sell fertilisers, causing hardships to farmers.

“Village panchayats had all the power earlier, and even MLAs used to fear the samiti president. But in the name of amendments to the panchayat raj system, the panchayats have been weakened. They become defunct when the Centre tries to wrest all the power, even on issues like roads and sanitation, where it has no role,” the CM said.

Referring to the Direct Benefit Scheme introduced by the NDA government for the sale of fertilisers, the CM said, “When I met finance minister Arun Jaitley, I told him about the hardships faced by the farmers when it comes to giving their biometrics on the E-PoS machines in remote areas. The lack of connectivity makes it difficult for them to buy fertilisers. He informed me that some fertiliser companies were siphoning off fertiliser subsidies up to `3,000 crores and it is to check this fraudulent practice that the E-PoS was introduced. I requested him to look for an alternative solution instead of troubling farmers, but he did not approve.”

The CM's remarks led to sharp protests from BJP MLAs.

BJP leader G. Kishan Reddy said, “On one hand, you talk of the Centre wresting all the powers. On the other hand, the state government is trying to control Haritha Haram in villages by incorporating provisions to ensure that the panchayats will face action if the survival rate of saplings is not 80 per cent? Are gram panchayats not capable of handling Haritha Haram?”

The Chief Minister replied, “If such tough measures are not taken, we cannot achieve the mammoth’s task of planting 240 crores of saplings in five years.”

On one hand, you talk of the Centre wresting all the powers. On the other hand, the state government is trying to control Haritha Haram in villages by incorporating provisions to ensure that the panchayats will face action if the survival rate of saplings is not 80 per cent?

— G. KISHAN REDDY, BJP leader Village panchayats had all the power earlier, and even MLAs used to fear the samiti president. But in the name of amendments to the panchayat raj system, the panchayats have been weakened. They become defunct when the Centre tries to wrest all the power, even on issues like roads and sanitation, where it has no role

— K. CHANDRASEKHAR RAO, Chief Minister