PRI office bearers to get TA and DA

Shimla, Jul 2 (UNI) The office bearers of the Panchayati Raj Institutions would be entitled to draw travelling and daily allowance as per the norms fixed by the state government for undertaking journey for official duties.

Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal in a meeting here today said the state government had considered the demand of the Panchayati raj institutions representatives to bring them under the fold of eligibility for drawing the TA/DA for undertaking the journey for official duties.

He said that earlier they were being paid by the concerned gram panchayat where financial resources were meager and in majority of cases the payments had remained pending for want of adequate budgetary provisions.

The state government would be providing grant-in-aid to the gram panchayats to meet the expenditure on account of the official journey expenditure of the Panchayati raj representatives with a view to bring about efficiency in the functioning of the gram panchayats all over the state.

He said that best efforts would also be made to make accommodation available in government rest houses for such representatives.

Mr Dhumal said that 30,081 panchayati raj representatives and its employees would be benefitted with the decision of the state government to enhance their honorarium and remuneration earmarking budgetary provision of Rs 3.20 crore for the current financial year.

He said that the honorarium of the zila parishad, panchayat samitis and gram panchayat representatives had been enhanced considerably besides the contractual employees engaged in the developmental activities at the panchayat level.

He said that panchayat sahayaks had been granted an enhanced monthly remuneration of Rs 3,120 who were earlier drawing Rs 2,340, similarly the panchayat chowkidars would also be eligible to draw enhanced annual grant in aid.

He said that the panchayat sahayaks had been empowered to function as panchayat secretaries to operate the panchayat developmental funds.

He said that 225 posts of panchayat sahayaks had been sanctioned to look after the routine functioning of the gram panchayats.

He added that the panchayat sahayaks would be eligible to be promoted as contractual panchayat secretaries on the basis of seniority and merit.

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