Hyderabad, Feb. 27 -- This year, the National Institute of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj (NIRDPR) in Hyderabad received Rs 1 lakh only in funds from the Union government. The drastic cut has sparked concerns over the institution's future.

However, the move is not sudden.

For a few years now, the Union government has been considering self-funding for what it considers as 'underperforming' autonomous bodies. Even local bodies and village governments are encouraged to explore new sources of revenue.

In a recent move, the Union finance ministry decided to rationalize 20 autonomous bodies, including NIRDPR and its other branches across the country, while merging 130 with government bodies and maintaining the status quo on 80 institut...