1.1.2 Selection of Villages
Since many Village Panchayats have very low incomes and are finding it difficult to provide the statutory services or improve infrastructure, this scheme accords priority to the poorest Village Panchayats in terms of per capita income. One fifth of the Village Panchayats in each Block are taken up in each year in the ascending order of per capita income so as to cover all the Village Panchayats in the State over a period of five years. The villages covered under the old Anna Marumalarchi Thittam, which was in vogue during 1997-2002, will be taken up in the fifth year (2010-11).
Under the scheme, the Government had allocated Rs. 508 crores for 2,540 Village Panchayats during 2006-07 and Rs.511.86 crores for 2,534 Village Panchayats during 2007-08 at the rate of Rs. 20 lakhs per Village Panchayat. For 2008-09, the scheme is going to be taken up in 2,521 villages at an outlay of Rs. 509.64 crores.
1.1.3 Salient features
The Centrally sponsored schemes usually
have tight guidelines and do not offer the flexibility to take up works
that
may be locally desirable nor do they provide funds enabling Village
Panchayats
to carry out their statutory functions under the Tamil Nadu Panchayats
Act,
1994. The Anaithu Grama Anna Marumalarchi Thittam endeavours to plug
both these
gaps in the Centrally sponsored schemes by providing untied funds of
Rs.5 lakhs
(out of Rs.20 lakhs allocation per Village Panchayat), with the
remaining funds
to be spent on stipulated items. Further, funds from other schemes of
Rural
Development and Panchayat Raj department and other departments such as
Highways, Public Works, Social Welfare, Health, Education, Agriculture
Engineering, and TWAD among others is also dovetailed as far as
possible
into the Village Panchayats taken up under Anaithu Grama Anna
Marumalarchi
Thittam. The Government’s intention is to ensure the convergence of at
least
Rs. 1 crore of funds under various Governmental schemes to each AGAMT
Village
Panchayat. Updated guidelines for implementation of the scheme for 2008 - 09 have
been
issued in G.O.(Ms) No. 88 RD&PR (SGS.1) Dept. dt. 05.06.2008.
1.1.4 Components/works under the scheme
The works under the scheme are broadly
classified into
two categories:
a)
Compulsory
works
b)
Optional
works
Following
are the compulsory works:
i) One Pond /Oorani/Tank per village: At least one
Pond/Oorani is to be constructed at a cost of Rs.3-5 lakhs in each AGAMT village and it should have Bathing ghat, Baby pond, Retaining wall etc. In case of a Pond or Oorani being unavailable in the village, Temple tank or Minor Irrigation tank can be taken up for desilting in the village. Desilting the pond for a minimum depth of 2 metre from the existing level and the baby pond for further depth of 1 metre has been stipulated.
ii) Sports Centers: A School Sports Centre at an outlay of up to Rs.1.5 lakhs or Community Sports Centre at an outlay of up to Rs.1 lakh is to be put up in each AGAMT village.
The Village Panchayats have been permitted to incur an expenditure of up to Rs.10,000 per year for replacement of sports consumables in AGAMT Sports Centres.
iii) Burial ground/Cremation Ground: Burial ground in each AGAMT village will be improved with
approach road,
Compound wall, Cremation shed, Water facility and Lighting.
iv)Libraries: A library will be opened in each AGAMT village. A new building may be
constructed or an existing building may be modified suitably and books
worth at
least Rs.50,000 are to be bought and furniture worth Rs.50,000 procured
for the
library. An Honorary Librarian is to be appointed for each AGAMT
library.
v)Water supply: For this component under the tied component, a minimum of Rs.1 lakh should be provided and based on
needs, additional allocation can also be made.
Following are the Optional works:
i)Village Shandy: Village shandies are to
be improved wherever available.
ii)Cement Concrete
roads: can be taken up for an amount not exceeding Rs.3 lakhs of
tied funds.
iii)Inland Fishery:
Fish ponds are to be taken up wherever feasible and preference given to
the
Self Help Groups for getting fishery rights.
iv)Extension
of streetlights and installation of Sodium Vapour lamps / Compact
Fluorescent Lamps(CFLs) / Fluorescent Tubelights
An
amount of 1% of the total allocation is
to be used for IEC activities.
1.1.5
Selection of works
Selection of works to be taken up under
AGAMT is done by a committee consisting of the Block Development
Officer
(Village Panchayats), Assistant Engineer (RD)/ Block Engineer, the
Panchayat
President concerned and Village Administrative Officer. The works should be got approved by the
Grama Sabha.
1.1.6
Execution of the works
BDO (Village Panchayats) is designated as
the tender
inviting authority for all works other than the purchase of sports
materials,
library books and library furniture. The Project Officer, DRDA is the tender inviting authority for the purchase of Sports materials and furniture for AGAMT libraries. The Government has, vide GO (Ms) No. 186 RD & PR SGS(2) Department, dated
16.11.07,
stipulated that the works for which tenders are not received for three
consecutive calls or where the quoted rates are exorbitant or where the
works
are left midway by the contractor, can be entrusted to the Village
Panchayats
for execution departmentally in case the value of the work is below Rs
5 lakh ,
and through tendering in case the value of the work is above Rs 5 Lakh each.
1.1.7
Progress under the scheme
The following
table gives the progress under the scheme in the year 2006-07 and
2007-08.
Table 1.1.1
Anaithu Grama Anna Marumalachi Thittam (AGAMT)
| 1 |
2006-07 |
513.08 |
1. Ponds |
2,599 |
2. Burial grounds/
Cremation sheds |
4,350 |
| 3. Sports Centres |
2,537 |
| 4. Libraries |
2,515 |
| 5. Water Supply |
8,576 |
| 6. CC Roads(No/Km) |
9,978/1341.89 |
| 7. Inland Fisheries |
1,033 |
| 8. Village Shandies |
122 |
9. Street lights(No.
of Villages) |
2,526 |
| 10.Other works |
7,695 |
| Total |
41,931 |
| 2 |
2007-08 |
511.87 |
1. Ponds |
2,545 |
2. Burial grounds/
Cremation sheds |
3,871 |
| 3. Sports Centres |
2,536 |
| 4. Libraries |
2,515 |
| 5. Water Supply |
7,283 |
| 6. CC Roads(No/Km) |
8,155/839.32 |
| 7. Inland Fisheries |
1,159 |
| 8. Village Shandies |
45 |
| 9. Street lights(No. of Villages) |
2,534 |
| 10.Other works |
6,725 |
| Total |
37,368 |
District wise fund allocation for the year 2008 - 09 is given in the following table:
Table 1.1.2
AGAMT - Fund Allocation 2008 - 09
| Sl. No. |
District |
No.of AGAMT Villages |
Amount
(Rs. in crores) |
| 1 |
Kancheepuram |
132 |
26.40 |
| 2 |
Tiruvallur |
108 |
21.60 |
| 3 |
Cuddalore |
135 |
27.00 |
| 4 |
Villupuram |
221 |
44.20 |
| 5 |
Vellore |
150 |
30.00 |
| 6 |
Tiruvannamalai |
171 |
34.20 |
| 7 |
Salem |
76 |
15.20 |
| 8 |
Namakkal |
66 |
13.20 |
| 9 |
Dharmapuri |
51 |
10.20 |
| 10 |
Krishnagiri |
67 |
13.40 |
| 11 |
Erode |
68 |
13.60 |
| 12 |
Coimbatore |
76 |
15.20 |
| 13 |
The Nilgiris |
7 |
1.40 |
| 14 |
Thanjavur |
116 |
23.20 |
| 15 |
Nagapattinam |
86 |
17.20 |
| 16 |
Tiruvarur |
87 |
17.40 |
| 17 |
Tiruchirapalli |
82 |
16.40 |
| 18 |
Karur |
32 |
6.40 |
| 19 |
Perambalur |
25 |
5.00 |
| 20 |
Ariyalur |
40 |
8.00 |
| 21 |
Pudukottai |
101 |
20.20 |
| 22 |
Madurai |
86 |
17.20 |
| 23 |
Theni |
26 |
5.20 |
| 24 |
Dindigul |
62 |
12.40 |
| 25 |
Ramanathapuram |
86 |
17.20 |
| 26 |
Virudhunagar |
90 |
18.00 |
| 27 |
Sivagangai |
89 |
17.80 |
| 28 |
Tirunelveli |
84 |
16.80 |
| 29 |
Tuticorin |
81 |
16.20 |
| 30 |
Kanniyakumari |
20 |
4.00 |
| Total |
2,521 |
504.20 |
|