Bathinda: Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann has announced a five-fold hike from Rs 2,000 to Rs 10,000 in monthly allowance for sarpanches of over 13,000 villages in the state from Aug 15.The announcement comes just days ahead of the governing AAP’s launch of “Maavan Dheeyan Satkar Yojna”. Under the scheme, women from the general category will receive Rs 1,000 per month while those from the Scheduled Caste categories Rs 1,500 per month from July 1.At a Lok Milni (public interaction) with sarpanches in Bathinda on Wednesday, Mann said the country gained independence on Aug 15, laying the foundation for a vibrant democracy. “Panchayats and sarpanches represent the very first step in this democratic setup. They work day and night for the development of their villages without receiving any remuneration. They deserve financial assistance to become self-reliant and to work even harder. If villages progress, Punjab will progress,” he said. Mann said while some village panchayats own common lands that generate lease income for local development, others lack adequate land to generate revenue. He pointed out that despite these financial constraints, sarpanches are often unfairly defamed. With this new financial assistance from the state govt, they will no longer need to look for alternative means to support themselves, Mann said. A large number of sarpanches from Bathinda and surrounding areas gathered at the venue and welcomed the CM’s announcement. Several of them said they had been demanding a monthly remuneration for a very long time. Earlier, the CM spoke about the women’s scheme, reminding people that under its first instalment on July 1, beneficiaries will receive a combined cash assistance payment covering the three months from April to June.
