Kolkata: Bengal govt has decided to strip elected panchayat pradhans of their financial powers and transfer them to govt officials through a bill to be introduced in the assembly, panchayat and rural development minister Dilip Ghosh said on Tuesday.The move is aimed at improving financial oversight, transparency and accountability in the execution of development projects.“The pradhans signed bills, which led to corruption on many occasions. We will vest these financial powers in govt officials following the model adopted in several other states,” Ghosh said. “Everything will be resolved within a week,” he added.A bill seeking an amendment to the West Bengal Panchayat Act 1973 is likely to be introduced in the upcoming Assembly session, sources said.The extended absence of panchayat pradhans from their offices following the change in govt in the state is hampering implementation of rural projects, particularly the 125-day job programme under VB-G RAM G, officials said.Of the 3,354 gram panchayats, Trinamool Congress till recently controlled over 3,200 panchayats. However, the current vacuum at the top has disrupted project approvals, delayed wage payments and slowed the execution of development work.The administrative impasse has also raised concerns over the timely payment of wages under VB-G RAM G, under which workers must receive wages within 15 days of completion of work while any delay attracts compensation. This could saddle the state with a substantial financial burden if payments remain blocked due to the absence of authorised signatories.“Eighty per cent of panchayat pradhans have stopped attending office, bringing the implementation of rural development programmes to a standstill,” a senior official said.Until now, panchayat pradhans exercised financial authority over a range of programmes, including MGNREGS and Fifteenth Finance Commission grants. They were empowered to approve tenders, authorise expenditure and clear payments for development projects. The proposed amendment will transfer all these powers to executive assistants posted in the panchayats, the officials said.The proposed overhaul comes on the back of allegations of large-scale financial irregularities during the previous Trinamool govt. The Centre had suspended release of MGNREGS funds to the state, alleging misappropriation of funds. Although wages were credited directly to bank accounts of job-card holders, the final approval for payments rested with panchayat pradhans.
