Panchayat secys thank govt for revised pay scale

Coimbatore: Fulfilling the long-pending demand of panchayat secretaries, the state government has passed a government order (GO) to include them under normal pay scale with immediate effect. The GO was released on Friday.
As per the order, panchayat secretaries of 12,524 village panchayats will be included in the normal pay scale, which will be increased from Rs 7,700 – Rs 24,200 to Rs 15,900 – Rs 50,400. “We were under special pay scale and did not get the benefits of government employees. We had been fighting for it for 25 years,” said state co-ordinator of the Federation of Rural Development and panchayat Raj Employees M Maniraj. “From now on, the secretaries will automatically be eligible for all sort of benefits that are given to government employees. They need not wait for a separate order. Their gross pay will be increased at least by Rs 5,000.”

The federation had conducted a conference in Coimbatore in March raising the demand, Maniraj said. The members of the federation conducted a thanksgiving function at Codissia ground on Sunday, in which state municipal administration minister SP Velumani attended.

The government has been fulfilling the demands of public and will continue to support them, the minister said. “Ever since AIADMK came to power, roads were laid for 72,698km at a cost of Rs 15,370crore, drinking water schemes were implemented at a cost of Rs 5,230crore, 20.87lakh street lamps were installed at a cost of Rs 803crore and Rs 654crore was spent on solid waste management. The state has been supplying water to 99% households through pipelines. Tamil Nadu remains as role model to other states in implementing Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA),” Velumani said.