Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Aug 4: Chairman, National Panthers Party and MLA Harshdev Singh flayed the Government for inordinate delay in release of honorarium for Sarpanchs and Panchs in consonance with the announcement made by it in Assembly during the Budget Session 2012 as well as 2013.
Singh pointed out that the Minister for Rural Development in a written reply had stated that the proposal of giving honorarium to elected members of Panchayats had been moved to the Finance Department and that certain emoluments had been recommended for the Sarpanchs, Naib Sarpanchs and Panchs.
He said that a categorical statement in this regard had been made by the Finance Minister as well during Budget speech but regretted that the Government has failed to take any action thereafter despite the fact that Panchayats had completed duration of more than two and a half years since their constitution.
Urging for early release of honorarium in favour of Sarpanchs and Panchs and Panchayate Adalats, Singh said that the Government should consider release of their arrears of remuneration. He further demanded release of Rs 10 lakh to each Panchayat for undertaking developmental activities as repeatedly announced.
Expressing concern over the functioning of the Rural Development Department, Harshdev Singh called for organizing orientation courses for members of Panchayats so as to sensitize them and to give them proper counseling at district and tehsil levels.
He also called for equitable distribution of recently created 1035 posts of VLWs between the two regions of the State. Singh sought a high level probe into all spending and expenditure incurred under MGNREGA during the last three years.
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