Northlines Correspondent, New Delhi, Nov 07: The Central Government
has ordered discontinuation of the centrally sponsored ‘District Rural
Development Agency (DRDA) Agency scheme with effect from Ist April
2022, a ministry of rural development department notification issued
said.
An official communication addressed to all the states and Union
Territories directed that the states and UTs may merge the DRDAs with
the Zila Parishad/Zila Panchayats of the states and UTs and where no
Zira Parishad existed, the DRDA may be merged with the District
Councils or other official body.
Staff working at the DRDAs on deputation basis can be absorbed back in
their parent departments. It further said that the support staff who
are on the rolls of the DRDAs may be absorbed by the appropriate line
department or in the District Planning and Monitoring Body as per
their qualification. In case such fitment is not possible and is not
organic, they can be placed with schemes such as MGNREGS, PMAY, NSAP
etc as per their competence and qualification in suitable capacities.
It further said that the accounts of funds released under DRDA scheme
may be audited and the balance unutilized amount as on 31.3.2022
reflected in Audit reports may be transferred to Zila Parishads or
other body.
DRDA Scheme was introduced in April 1999. Many welfare schemes for
uplifting the deserving poor are implemented through DRDA.
Funds sanctioned by the central government under various schemes to
the deserving poor got channelled through DRDA. The union government
also paid 75 percent of DRDA staff’s salaries, with the remaining
being the contribution of the state government.
Over time, however, powers of DRDAs started getting eroded with the
government bringing about many changes in implementation of welfare
schemes. Earlier in the last quarter of the financial year 2020, the
central government had made it clear that it would not be funding
DRDAs from April 1, 2021. After this many state governments have
started the exercises to bring DRDAs under state government’s
Panchayati Raj or Rural Development Departments.
