Mangalore : Maruthi Manpade, president of Karnataka State Gram Panchayat Employees’ Association affiliated to the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU), said that state is given so many laws and recommendations, but not allowing to implement it made by the Third State Finance Commission, which provided for enhanced allocation of funds to gram panchayats.

He was speaking after receiving the felicitation organized by Karnataka State Gram Panchayat Employees’ Association at NGO Hall on October 13, Saturday.

He also said that there are still the bill collectors under gram panchayath working for the salary of Rs 1500, hence it must be increased so that they can lead their life better.

He also said that the Third Finance Commission had recommended that gram panchayats should be given grants based on their population. If the state government sanction Rs 1 crore to each Gram Panchayath, then only the development is possible.

Karnataka is the welfare state and the government must implement the scheme required for the welfare of the people.

Although two years had lapsed, the State Government had still not implemented the recommendations of the Commission.

With the result, development works had come to a standstill in gram panchayats. Most of the money with the gram panchayats was used for paying electricity bills and the salary to the workers.

Further the association will fight independently in January through holding protest and convention and fight against open market system and fill the vacant post of bill collectors, he added.

Deviprasad Shetty, president of GP Presidents Union honoured Maruthi Manpade with shawl, garland, citation and memento.

He said that today Gram Panchayath has got power and Abdul Nazeer Saaba dn Ramakrishna Hegde has worked hard to implement the order and recommendations.

Today government is coming forward in corruption and the fund sanctioned for GP is not enough for the development, he said.

B Madhava, secretary of CPI(M) and others were present.