HYDERABAD: Though the Congress Government has agreed to transfer 10 important powers to gram panchayats in the State, it seems to be in no hurry to start the exercise without first wresting political control over the local bodies.

Elections to the local bodies will be held in July -August.

The decision to transfer the powers was announced after a meeting between Union Minister for Panchayat Raj Mani Shankar Aiyar and Chief Minister Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy on April 22. A day earlier at Vijayawada, Mr. Aiyar had chastised the Government for the delay in transfer of powers. The next day, post meeting, he hailed Dr. Reddy as a messaiah of panchayat revolution.

Political motive

Observers can glean a political motive behind the Government's reluctance to so immediately, as a major chunk of the local bodies are held by the TDP.

Out of the 29 powers proposed to be transferred to local bodies, the Government has devolved only 17 subjects, without transferring either the funds or functionaries along with the functions. Mostly, these were advisory and review powers.

A Lok Satta report points out that, for instance, in education sector, the Government had transferred only adult and non-formal education and libraries, but not primary and secondary education. As the devolution remained incomplete, the role of local bodies too has become limited.

The Congress had promised, in its election manifesto, to transfer the administrative and financial resources under its control stating that gram swaraj was a cherished dream of the late Prime Minister.

The Andhra Pradesh Sarpanchs' Association on Wednesday said the commitment of the Congress Government to the panchayat reforms would remain dubious as long as it did not implement one of its key promises.

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