Karnataka   

GPs seek direct funds from Government

IN SUPPORT OF DEMANDS: Karnataka Rajya Gram Panchayat Naukarara Sangha general secretary M.B. Nada Gowda addressing a press conference in Hassan on Friday.

HASSAN: Gram panchayats should get grants directly from the Government, Karnataka Rajya Gram Panchayat Naukarara Sangha general secretary M.B. Nada Gowda and joint secretary Dharmesh have said. They said that the grants should be raised to Rs. 25 lakh and that gram panchayat workers should get minimum wages.

They told presspersons here on Friday that the workers would take out a Bangalore Chalo on December 18 to press for their demands. The demands included provident fund facility for workers and promotions.

On the same day, at 4 p.m., a State-level conference of elected gram panchayat members and workers would be held at the Ambedkar Bhavan in Bangalore, they said.

Mr. Nada Gowda said there are 40,000 workers, including 3,000 in the district, working in 5,626 gram panchayats in the State. These included house tax collectors, Balawadi (nursery) teachers, clerks, water distributors, safaikaramcharis and those are working since the inception of the gram panchayats.

Mr. Nada Gowda said the Government had regularised the services of workers of zilla panchayats but had not regularised the services of workers of taluk and gram panchayats.

Mr. Nada Gowda said the Government had fixed minimum wages of Rs. 2,041.80 and Rs. 1,891.80 under two categories but they are not being implemented in many gram panchayats. The Government had also directed that Rs. 237.60 be paid as dearness allowance from April 2007. However, this is not being implemented, he added.

Mr. Dharmesh said in Hassan district, gram panchayat workers are yet to get their salaries for the past 15 months.

The Government, instead of releasing grants directly to gram panchayats, had deducted the amount towards electricity bills. This is the reason for non-payment of salary to workers, he added. He demanded that the Government raise annual grants of gram panchayats to Rs. 25 lakh and release the funds directly to them.

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