The Government proposes to substantially expand the Panchayat Empowerment and Accountability Scheme (PEAIS) by making suitable allocations in order to empower the Panchayats and put in place accountability systems to make their functioning transparent and efficient.
This was stated by the Finance Minister, Shri Pranab Mukherjee while presenting the Interim Budget 2009-2010 in the Lok Sabha here today.
Shri Mukherjee added that PEAIS is an existing scheme under the central sector plan which has been recognized as a powerful instrument to incentivise States to devolve funds, functions and functionaries and set up an institutional framework for such devolution.