G.O. (Ms.) No. 137, Construction of Anganwadi Centres and Panchayat Office Buildings, 2021

What the government approved

G.O. (Ms.) No. 137 of the Rural Development and Panchayat Raj (CGS.1) Department permits two rural public building programmes:

• Construction of 500 new Anganwadi Centres at a total cost of Rs.54.65 crore.
• Construction of 500 Panchayat Office Buildings at a total cost of Rs.117.85 crore.
• The Anganwadi Centres are convergence works involving the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme, the Integrated Child Development Services Scheme and Panchayat Union General Fund or Panchayat General Fund.
• The Panchayat Office Buildings are funded under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme.
• Financial sanction can be made only after receipt of the Government of India share. Expenditure must be divided between 2021-22 and 2022-23 and accommodated within the Annual Action Plan.

Selection and approval requirements

G.O. (Ms.) No. 137 gives priority to old Anganwadi Centres recommended by the Director cum Mission Director, Integrated Child Development Services Scheme, and Village Panchayat Office Buildings that are dilapidated and more than 30 years old.

Selected works require:

• Approval from a committee comprising the District Collector as Chairman, Project Director, Executive Engineer (Rural Development) and Assistant Director (Panchayat).
• A Grama Sabha resolution for every selected work.
• Work-wise entry in Register No. 2 maintained under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act by the relevant Village Panchayat.
• Estimate preparation, administrative sanction and technical sanction through SECURE software, although Anganwadi convergence works may be excluded from estimate creation in that software.
• A Citizen Information Board at the work site, with the required project information. Its cost is fixed at Rs.4,500 per unit and must be included in the estimate.

Building and funding provisions

G.O. (Ms.) No. 137 fixes the unit cost of an Anganwadi Centre at Rs.10.93 lakh. This consists of Rs.5.00 lakh from the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme, Rs.2.00 lakh from the Integrated Child Development Services Scheme and Rs.3.93 lakh from Panchayat funds.

The unit cost of a Panchayat Office Building is Rs.23.57 lakh. Each office building must include a ramp with handrails and a unisex accessible toilet for persons with disabilities. Model estimates for both building types are attached to the government order.

Relevance to property owners

G.O. (Ms.) No. 137 is a public works and funding approval. It does not state that private property titles, land classifications, sale rights or land use permissions are changed.