Gram panchayat employees have urged the State government to confer more powers to panchayats and enhance annual grants from the present Rs.5 lakh to Rs.25 lakh. A resolution to this effect was passed at the one-day district-level convention organised by the Karnataka State Gram Panchayat Employees Association here.

Hundreds of employees from different parts of the district attended the meeting.

The convention noted with disgust the attempts of the government to dilute powers given to grassroots level democratic institutions and defeat the purpose of decentralisation of power.

It wanted the employees and all democratic forces to make a concerted struggle to strengthen gram panchayats by bringing pressure on the government.

Underlining the need for implementing the 151 recommendations made by the panchayat raj and rural development ministers’ conference for strengthening gram panchayats, the Association noted instead of decentralising powers the government was making every effort to encourage the centralised system.

Resolutions

The other resolutions adopted at the convention include: barring the salary grants and wages, the government should enhance annual grants to panchayats from the present Rs.5 lakh to Rs.25 lakh;

restoration of powers to panchayats for identification of  beneficiaries towards issuing ration cards, allotment of sites and houses, etc; fixing a monthly honourarium of Rs.3,000 to presidents, Rs.2,500 to vice presidents and Rs.1,000 to gram panchayat members; upgrading the post of panchayat secretary to the level of deputy tahsildar and filling all the posts in gram panchayats; and regularisation of services of employees.

Earlier, inaugurating the convention M Chandra Pujary, Head of the Department of Development Studies, Kannada University, Hampi, underlined the need for decentralisation of financial powers along with administrative powers to make gram panchayats function effectively and independently.