Performance grants under 14th Finance Commission: criteria and state-wise release (2016-17 to 2019-20)

What happened: Ministry of Panchayati Raj released Performance Grants totals under the 14th Finance Commission (2016-17 to 2019-20)

The Ministry of Panchayati Raj stated that eligibility criteria for Performance Grants under the 14th Finance Commission for the period 2016-17 to 2019-20 included (1) uploading audited accounts and (2) an increase in own revenues over the preceding year. Based on these criteria, the Ministry released State/Union Territory-wise Performance Grant totals (Rs. in crore) for eligible Gram Panchayats. Annexure-II contains the State-wise figures.

The Ministry also clarified a limitation: the Ministry of Panchayati Raj does not maintain Gram Panchayat-wise Performance Grant details. Therefore, the released breakdown is at the State/Union Territory level rather than the Gram Panchayat level.

Background: the eligibility logic used for Performance Grants under the 14th Finance Commission

For Performance Grants under the 14th Finance Commission for 2016-17 to 2019-20, the stated eligibility criteria are measurable and compliance-linked: audited financial reporting through uploading of audited accounts, and improvement in fiscal performance through increase in own revenues compared to the preceding year.

What changed now: State-wise annexure figures released along with explicit no-grant recommendations