Karnataka - Gulbarga   

ULBs get Rs. 2,400 crore for schemes

GULBARGA: Gone are the days when urban local bodies (ULBs) looked to the Government for taking up development schemes. Increased financial devolution to the ULBs has given them the freedom to initiate schemes of their choice.

The State Government has released Rs. 2,400 crore for 2008-09 to the ULBs under the State Finance Commission (SFC) grant.

The funds have been released under three components, one being untied funds totalling Rs. 1,250 crore.

The ULBs have discretionary powers to take up schemes according to their requirements, in compliance with government guidelines.

City corporations will get an amount ranging from Rs. 20 crore to Rs. 22 crore, city municipal councils will get Rs. 7 crore to Rs. 10 crore, and town municipal councils and town panchayats will get funds ranging from Rs. 2 crore to Rs. 4 crore based on population and geographical area.

Director of Municipal Administration Anjum Parvez told The Hindu here on Friday that the second component of the SFC grant was Rs. 600 crore for salary of ULB employees, and the third component of Rs. 600 crore was for payment of electricity bills, rainwater harvesting schemes, water supply, energy saving schemes and others.

The Government has decided to introduce a few checks in the selection of schemes in order to maintain quality and improve the accounting system in the ULBs.

Mr. Parvez said the district administration would play an active role in the affairs of city corporations. The Deputy Commissioner, besides operating the accounts of the special funds jointly with the commissioners of the city corporations, would also head a committee that would monitor the quality of the work in schemes taken up by the corporations.

Apart from this, the seven city corporations in the State would get Rs. 100 crore over a period of two years for overall development of the tier 2 cities.

Under the scheme, the Government would release Rs. 50 crore this year and the rest next year.

Mr. Parvez said one of the guidelines stipulated for the programme was that only major schemes should be taken up with the funds released by the Government, and they should have a visible impact.

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