India News | Sikkim Govt Doubles Honorarium of Panchayat Members

Gangtok, Jan 31 (PTI) The Sikkim government doubled the monthly honorarium of zilla panchayat and gram panchayat members, officials said on Wednesday.

The hike will come into effect on February 1, they said.

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Zilla panchayat members and sabhapatis of gram panchayats will now receive a monthly honorarium of Rs 20,000 each against the previous Rs 10,000, according to a notification.

Upasabhapatis of gram panchayat will get Rs 19,000 per month as against the earlier Rs 9,500, while members of gram panchayats will get Rs 18,000 as compared to Rs 9,000 earlier, it said.

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The annual discretionary grants for zilla panchayat members and sabhapatis have been fixed at Rs 20,000, while upasabhapatis and members of gram panchayat will receive Rs 14,000 and Rs 10,000 per year, respectively, it added.

There are 113 zilla panchayat members and 1,040 gram panchayat members in Sikkim. The monthly honorarium and yearly discretionary grants were last raised in April 2018 by the then Pawan Chamling government.

Sikkim has a two-tier system of Panchayati Raj -- zilla panchayats at the district level and gram panchayats at the village level.

"I am delighted to share that during my address on the valedictory day of the Panchayat Sammelan, i.e. on 25th January 2024, I had proudly announced the increase in monthly honorarium and the annual discretionary grants for our dedicated members of the Zilla Panchayat and Sabhapatis, Upasabhapatis and members of the Gram Panchayat. I am pleased to inform you all that this enhancement has been officially notified for implementation," Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang said in a Facebook post.

"Your unwavering dedication to the welfare of our people is truly commendable, and I express my sincere gratitude for your tireless efforts and perseverance. Wishing you all the best and continued success in all your endeavors," he said, referring to the office-bearers of the Panchayati Raj system.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)