Chandigarh, Feb. 7 -- The Union government has released over Rs.1,133 crores as Fifteenth Finance Commission (FFC) grants for financial year 2025-26 to strengthen Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) and Rural Local Bodies (RLBs) in Punjab, Madhya Pradesh and Telangana.

Of this, an amount of Rs.222 crore has been released by the central government to Punjab as the first instalment of untied grants for the current fiscal year, according to a Press Information Bureau release. These funds will support all 13,262 eligible gram panchayats, 150 eligible block panchayats and 22 eligible district panchayats across the state.

In Madhya Pradesh, it released Rs.652.55 crore as the second instalment of untied grants for FY 2024-25, while for the stat...