Panchayat Representatives to get More Honorarium, Sitting Fee

Bhubaneswar: Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik spared no chance to announce welfare schemes ahead of Assembly and Lok Sabha polls to woo the common citizens. After Re.1 rice scheme and 24X7 emergency ambulance services, Naveen tried to please Panchayat representatives by increasing their honorarium and sitting fee on the occasion of 97th Biju Jayanti on March 5, which is usually observed as State Panchayati Raj Day. The latest announcement will motivate Sarpanches and Samiti members to involve more in implementation of schemes in villages.

Naveen announced the increase in the honorarium and sitting fee of different categories of Panchayati Raj institution members. The government will allocate around Rs. 50 crore for increased fee for the Panchayat representatives in the next financial year 2013-14.

While the government increased the sitting fee by Rs. 30 for all the categories of Panchayati Raj institutions members, naib sarpanch will get Rs 600 (Rs 200 hike) honorarium. Similarly, Rs 500 hiked for Sarpanch, Samiti members and Samiti vice-chairman. The honorarium was increased by Rs 750 for Samiti chairman and Zilla Parishad members, by Rs 1500 for Zilla Parishad vice-president and Rs 2000 for Zilla Parishad president. The hiked honorarium and sitting fee will come into effect from April.

He also announced Rs.5.00 lakh each for the 854 Zilla Parishad Zones. The government will allocate Rs.46.00 crore in the budget of Panchayati Raj Department as Development Grant for Zilla Parishad zones.

On the occasion at Baramunda, Naveen honoured 37 Panchayati Raj institution members for their outstanding contribution towards the implementation of various developmental programmes and schemes. Ganjam and Nabarangpur districts received Rs 5 lakh award as the best Zilla Parishad. While Hinjilikatu and Nabarangpur were awarded Rs 3 lakh each as the Best Panchayat Samiti, Baliapala, Rangeilunda and Hemagiri received Rs 2 lakh cash award for the same. Similarly, the best Panchayat award went to Padmapur of Jagatsinghpur dfistrict, Parikhi of Balasore district, Darubhadra of Ganjam’s Hinjikatu block, Erandra of Ganjam’s Sanakhemundi block, Barasahi of Angul’s Chendipada Block, Kuluma of Angul’s Kaniha Block, Sunathar of Ganjam’s Purushottampur Block, Baghasiuni of Nabarangpur, Susuba of Anugul’s Kaniha Block, Taraboda of Nuapada’s Komna Block, Talshrada of Boud, Ambadola of Rayagada’s Muniguda Block, Khalana of Keonjhar’s Ghasipura Block, R.Udayagiri of Gajapati district, Kopatuti of Malkangiri’s Korkonda Block, Dharmagarh of Kalahandi district, Dharmapur of Balasore’s Nilgiri Block, Giringkela of Sundergarh’s Lepripada Block, Kotgarh of Kandhamal’s Kotgarh Block, Tarpur of Jagatsinghpur’s Raghunathpur Block, Kumbhariput of Koraput’s Bandhugaon Block, Kendupali of Cuttack’s Banki Block, Majhiakhand of Nayagarh’s Ranpur Block, Darlaga of Jharsuguda, Laxminarayanpur of Kendrapada’s Derabis Block, Jashipur of Bhadrak’s Chandbali Block, Chuhata of Mayurbhanj’s Suliapada Block, Bandalo of Jajpur’s Korei Block, Kalyanpur of Puri’s Delang Block, and Andharua Panchayat of Khordha’s Bhubaneswar Block. Each Panchayat received Rs 1 lakh cash award at the ceremony.

As per the government announcement, Zilla Parishad members, Panchayat Samiti members and Sarpanches will be the new members in various committees like Block Level Farmers’ Advisory Committees, Rogi Kalyan Samiti, School Management & Development committee and Block Level Sanitation Committee. The locals in all the villages will be provided cement concrete road. The work will be completed in the next 3 years for which the government has allocated Rs 1800 crore under concrete road scheme. Every Gram Panchayat will get Rs.10 lakh for the concrete road work. Also Rs 117 crore has been allocated for the maintenance of roads. The scheme was announced under Gopbandhu Gramin Yojana for which Rs 225 will be spent in the next fiscal year. The government promised that all the villages will be provided electricity, road and water.

For the first time, the State government has considered 87 lakh proposals by Palli Sabha and Gram Sabha. All the proposals will be executed in the month of April and May this year. The CM stated that the Panchayati Raj Department has started work for filling 1361 Gram Sevak posts at the villages.

Increased Honorarium