Gandhinagar (Gujarat) [India], April 17 (ANI): Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel has made an important decision to strengthen the structure of Gram Panchayats, Taluka Panchayats, and District Panchayats (local self-government institutions) by facilitating the construction of modern, well-equipped office buildings, said an official statement from the Gujarat Chief Minister's Office (CMO).

In this regard, the CM has substantially increased the state government's grants for the construction of new Panchayat houses for Gram Panchayats whose existing buildings are dilapidated or those that currently lack Panchayat houses. Additionally, the government will build Talati-cum-Minister residences along with new Gram Panchayat offices to ensure Talatis are regularly available at the rural level.

Accordingly, Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel has set a new maximum unit cost of Rs 40 lakh instead of the earlier Rs 27 lakh for constructing gram panchayat houses in villages with a population of 10,000 or more. For villages with a population between 5,000 and 10,000, the maximum unit cost has been raised from Rs 22 lakh to Rs 34.83 lakh.

Similarly, for villages with a population of less than 5,000, the state government will now provide a grant of up to Rs 25 lakh instead of the earlier Rs 17 lakh for building new panchayat houses. The Chief Minister has also increased the prevailing grant assistance for the construction of taluka panchayat offices from Rs 3.10 crore to Rs 5 crore or the actual construction cost, whichever is lower.

In addition, Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel has raised the unit cost for the construction of district panchayat office buildings as well. For the construction of new buildings for district panchayats, the state government will now provide unit cost assistance of Rs 52 crore instead of Rs 38 crore, or the actual cost incurred, whichever is lower.

As a result of the decisions taken by Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, more well-equipped offices will be developed at every level, from village gram panchayats to district panchayats. This will enhance public convenience and contribute to the creation of a stronger service infrastructure.

The Panchayat, Rural Housing, and Rural Development Department has officially issued a resolution to implement the decisions made by the Chief Minister. (ANI)