CHENNAI: The Tamil Nadu government has announced a slew of incentives for rural local bodies, including raising by five to ten times the ‘sitting fee’ elected members get to attend sessions.
And vehicles would be bought for all panchayat union chairpersons to attend to official duties. The sitting fee for members of district panchayats and panchayat unions would be increased tenfold and that for members of village panchayats fivefold, chief minister M K Stalin informed the state assembly on Friday.
“It will benefit 1.19 lakh elected members of the rural local bodies,” he said making a suo motu announcement under Rule 110.
Members of the rural local body were receiving a sitting fee following an order issued by the DMK government of M Karunanidhi. It had not been revised for years. “Following representations from the people representatives, the government has decided to enhance the sitting fee,” Stalin said. Terming rural local bodies the “roots of democracy”, the CM said government welfare schemes could reach the people in remote areas only when local bodies got infrastructure. Hence, the government has decided to construct village secretariats (grama seyalagam) in 600 panchayats in the first phase this year.
Each facility would cost Rs 40 lakh. These would be used to implement schemes of the departments of rural development, revenue, agriculture and farmers' welfare and social welfare.
“Whenever the DMK forms the government, it gives special attention to local bodies,” said the CM and announced that November 1 would be celebrated as “Ulatchi Dhinam” (local body day). On the occasion, government schemes would be popularised through information and education programmes.
Encouraging people's participation, grama sabha meets would be held on November 1 and March 22 (World Water Day) in addition to the meets held on January 26, May 1, August 15 and October 2, said the CM.
The government would revive the Uthamar Gandhi award from 2022 for the best panchayat in each district, which would include a ₹10 lakh cash prize.
