The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh / Hyderabad News : State moots minimum qualification for sarpanches

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Nov 11, 2005

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad

State moots minimum qualification for sarpanches

Special Correspondent

Fifth qualification for SCs and STs and SSC for others proposed

HYDERABAD: The State Government is contemplating to fix minimum educational qualifications for the post of sarpanch in the ensuing panchayat elections scheduled to be held in the middle of next year.

Panchayat Raj Minister J. C. Diwakar Reddy announced this here on Thursday to presspersons on the sidelines of a review meeting on various activities of zilla parishads and mandal parishads with their chief executive officers (CEOs) in the office of the Panchayat Raj Commissioner.

He proposed that the minimum educational qualification for candidates belonging to the Scheduled Castes and Tribes would be fifth class, while for others it would be SSC.

This was being contemplated with a view to prevent undue influence exerted by officials and misuse of funds by them without the knowledge of the sarpanches.

CEOs pulled up

Earlier, addressing the CEOs, the Minister pulled up some of them for not being up to the mark in their work, forgetting their duty, not maintaining proper records and failing to check the quality of road works. Mr. Reddy directed them to send reports of inspection of works by fifth of every month to the Commissioner's office.

The Minister advised the CEOs to seriously involve themselves along with the block development officers in the model village and town concept proposed to be introduced in April next, as they would have basic infrastructure facilities and welfare programmes.

Mr. Reddy sought details of the misappropriation of PF funds totalling Rs.15 lakhs in the Anantapur Zilla Parishad from the CEO and cautioned others against indulging in such frauds.

In his introductory remarks, Panchayat Raj Commissioner S. E. Sekhar Babu called upon CEOs of seven districts to speed up works in their respective areas. "You should spend the amount allotted under the first instalment before March next," he said.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Andhra Pradesh