In a move that will directly extend the Centres influence over 2,52,000 panchayats,the ministry of panchayati raj has proposed setting up hi-tech software networking centres in all panchayats at a staggering cost of Rs 28,000 crore over three years. To be called Rajiv Gandhi Bharat Nirman Seva Kendras,the construction and maintenance of these will be fully funded by the Centre. The proposal,prima facie,appears as though states will have negligible or no role in either establishing or running the Kendras. The proposal is yet to be approved by the Planning Commission. During an NREGA meeting on July 20 to mark the late Rajiv Gandhis birthday,panchayati raj minister C P Joshi had promised that his ministry would set up such centres to provide a single-window grievance redressal system for all Centrally-funded rural development schemes. This,apparently,comes out of Joshis belief that states are failing to efficiently implement the schemes. The Kendras,directly governed by the Centre,will also enhance the political clout of the Congress in rural areas. Many in the UPA believe that NDA-ruled states habitually re-christen Central schemes and walk away with the credit. Minister of state for planning V Narayanasamy has already aired his displeasure on the issue. In most Central schemes,the Centre and state governments share the cost of funding. While the Centre pays 75 per cent of the funds,state governments pay the remaining amount. In case of special category states,the Centre foots the bill to the extent of 90 per cent of the plan. Every Kendra will be a two-room computer knowledge centre with a single-window facility to oversee and monitor the implementation of all Bharat Nirman programmes in rural areas. The ministry has suggested that construction of such centres be completed within the next three years. The proposal is to spend Rs 9,000 crore in the first year and in the two corresponding years,the amount would be Rs 11,000 crore and Rs 8,000 crore respectively, sources said. It was President Pratibha Patil who had in her June 4 address said that every panchayat in India would get a broadband connection in the next three years. The scheme for common service centres for e-kiosks will be suitably repositioned to be a network of panchayat-level Bharat Nirman Common Service Centres to provide government services to citizens in rural areas, she had said.
