G.O. (Ms) No.34, Sanction of Balance Amount for Member of Legislative Assembly Constituency Development Scheme 2020-21

Purpose and background

The Rural Development and Panchayat Raj (SGS.1) Department, through G.O. (Ms) No.34 dated 26 February 2021, sanctions the remaining half of the funding for the Member of Legislative Assembly Constituency Development Scheme for 2020-2021.

The Government had previously given administrative sanction for Rs.470 crore and issued detailed implementation guidelines. After an earlier release of Rs.235 crore, the Commissioner of Rural Development and Panchayat Raj requested release of the balance so that the scheme could be implemented quickly in all Assembly constituencies.

Key decisions are:

• Rs.235 crore is sanctioned as the balance 50 per cent of the total allocation.
• The sanction is for implementation of the Member of Legislative Assembly Constituency Development Scheme during 2020-2021.
• The release follows a request from the Commissioner of Rural Development and Panchayat Raj.
• The Finance Department concurred with the sanction.

Distribution and administration

G.O. (Ms) No.34 dated 26 February 2021 authorises the Commissioner of Rural Development and Panchayat Raj to draw the sanctioned amount and distribute it to all District Collectors except Chennai, and to the Commissioner of Greater Chennai Corporation.

The funds are recorded under capital outlay on other rural development programmes and major works. The allocation is divided as follows:

• Rs.49.35 crore for schemes under the Special Component Plan for Scheduled Castes.
• Rs.2.35 crore for schemes under the Tribal Area Sub-Plan.
• Rs.183.30 crore under other expenditure for execution of scheme works.
• Total allocation, Rs.235 crore.

Who is affected

G.O. (Ms) No.34 dated 26 February 2021 directly concerns the Commissioner of Rural Development and Panchayat Raj, District Collectors, the Commissioner of Greater Chennai Corporation and other authorities involved in implementing and accounting for constituency development works.

Residents may be affected indirectly where funded works are carried out in their Assembly constituencies. The document does not identify individual projects or locations.

Relevance to land and property

G.O. (Ms) No.34 dated 26 February 2021 is a funding sanction for constituency development works. It contains no provisions changing land ownership, land classification, land use, planning permission, registration or property rights, and it does not identify any property for acquisition or development.