Haryana govt announces bonanza for fund-starved local bodies

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, June 29

The Khattar government has unveiled a financial bonanza for the fund-starved rural and urban local bodies from the 2021-22 fiscal.

In a decision that is set to accelerate development and provide more fiscal muscle to these bodies, including civic bodies, panchayats and zila parishads, the state government has decided to transfer 2 per cent stamp duty to the local bodies.

The Additional Chief Secretary (Finance), in an order, asked the Revenue Department to provide details of the 2 per cent share of the stamp duty of each local body through the Haryana Land Records Information System (HALRIS) to the DCs concerned.

Sources said in case of urban local bodies, 1 per cent stamp duty would be transferred to each urban local body concerned, while 1 per cent would go to the Urban Local Bodies Department.

In case of Gurugram, the realty hub of the state, 2 per cent stamp duty would be shared equally between the Gurugram Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA) and the Urban Local Bodies Department.

However, for rural areas falling in GMDA, the stamp duty share of 1 per cent each would be allocated to the gram panchayat concerned and GMDA.

Meanwhile, for the rural local bodies, 1 per cent stamp duty would be transferred to the gram panchayat concerned and another 1 per cent to the Zila Parishad.

A senior officer said since the matter pertained to the state Budget, the Finance Department would be in a monitoring role. “The National Informatics Centre (NIC) will enable the e-filing system for the processing of stamp duty share payments to the local bodies concerned and provide a report of funds transferred to these bodies on a monthly basis to the Finance Department,” he added.