New Delhi, August 26: The Centre has released over ₹284 crore to rural local bodies in Mizoram, Odisha, and Tripura under the 15th Finance Commission’s (XV-FC) Untied Grants for the financial year 2025–26, the Ministry of Panchayati Raj announced on Tuesday.
Odisha received the largest share with ₹240.81 crore allocated to 6,085 Gram Panchayats and 63 Block Panchayats. Tripura was granted ₹29.75 crore for 606 Gram Panchayats, 35 Block Panchayats, eight Zilla Parishads, 587 Village Committees, and 40 Block Advisory Committees. Mizoram received ₹14.27 crore for 827 village councils under the 2023–24 grant cycle.
The funds, released in two instalments annually, are meant to strengthen local self-governance. Untied Grants are to be utilised for location-specific development needs, excluding salaries and establishment expenses, while Tied Grants are earmarked for basic services such as sanitation, waste management, faecal sludge treatment, drinking water supply, rainwater harvesting, and water recycling.
Officials noted that the grants aim to empower Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) and village councils to deliver essential services more effectively and address community priorities.
Earlier in March, the Centre had released ₹436 crore as the second instalment of XV-FC grants for Karnataka and Tripura to boost rural governance and drive grassroots development.
