The Hindu : Karnataka News : Gram panchayat staff stage dharna

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Jul 20, 2004

Karnataka

Karnataka - Others

Gram panchayat staff stage dharna

By Our Correspondent

CHIKMAGALUR, JULY 19. Members of the gram panchayat today organised a demonstration in front of the zilla panchayat offices here today in protest against the attempts being made by government employees and "vested interests" to "weaken the panchayat system" in the State.

Expressing concern that employees were reluctant to work under the purview of gram panchayat administration, they demanded that anganwadi workers, health assistants, schools, rural libraries and gram sevaks be brought under the administrative control of panchayats.

Regretting that members of the Legislative Council who have been elected by local bodies had not spoken out against the protests organised by panchayat employees, they appealed to legislators, MPs and the Government to ensure that the panchayat raj system was strengthened as envisaged in the 73rd amendment to the Constitution.

They wanted gram panchayat secretaries to draw their salary from the panchayat and avoid seeking deputation to taluk panchayats. They urged the Government to increase the meeting allowance to Rs. 250 and fix salaries of panchayat presidents and vice-presidents at Rs. 1,000 a month.

Later, they submitted a memorandum to R. Shanathraj, chief executive officer of the zilla panchayat.

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