New Delhi: The Union Government has released the Fifteenth Finance Commission (XV FC) Grants for the financial year 2024–25, comprising the second instalment of Untied Grants amounting to ₹1,598.80 crore for Rural Local Bodies in Uttar Pradesh. These funds are allocated to all eligible 75 District Panchayats, 826 eligible Block Panchayats, and 57,691 eligible Gram Panchayats in the state. Additionally, the Fifteenth Finance Commission (XV FC) Grants for Rural Local Bodies in Andhra Pradesh for the financial year 2024–25 include the second instalment of Untied Grants amounting to ₹420.9989 crore, along with the previously withheld amount of the first instalment totalling ₹25.4898 crore. These funds are designated for 13,097 duly elected Gram Panchayats, 650 duly elected Block Panchayats, and all 13 eligible District Panchayats in the state.
Government of India through Ministry of Panchayati Raj and Ministry of Jal Shakti (Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation) recommends release of Fifteenth Finance Commission (XV FC) Grants to States for Rural Local Bodies which are then released by Ministry of Finance. The allocated Grants are recommended and released in 2 installments in a Financial Year.
The Untied Grants will be utilised by Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs)/ Rural Local Bodies (RLBs) for location-specific felt needs, under the Twenty-Nine (29) Subjects enshrined in the Eleventh Schedule of the Constitution, except for salaries and other establishment costs. The Tied Grants can be used for the basic services of (a) sanitation and maintenance of ODF status, and this should include management and treatment of household waste, and human excreta and fecal sludge management in particular and (b) supply of drinking water, rainwater harvesting and water recycling.
In a landmark move to empower India’s grassroots democracy, the Government of India is channeling Fifteenth Finance Commission Grants directly to Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs)/ Rural Local Bodies (RLBs), transforming the landscape of rural local governance. This strategic financial empowerment is revolutionizing local administration, fostering accountability, and nurturing self-reliance at the village level. Aligned with the Hon’ble Prime Minister’s transformative vision of ‘Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas, Sabka Prayas’, this initiative is catalyzing inclusive growth while deepening democratic participation at the grassroots. These empowered local institutions are emerging as powerful engines of change, steering India’s journey towards becoming Viksit Bharat – where every village shapes it’s own destiny and contributes to the nation’s prosperity.