Lucknow: The Uttar Pradesh government is set to increase the monthly honorarium of around 60,000 village watchmen, or ‘gram praharis’, by Rs 1,000, starting October 13.
The proposed increase will raise their monthly honorarium from Rs 2,500 to Rs 3,500, marking a 40 per cent hike. Each village watchman will receive an additional Rs 12,000 annually following the increase.
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath is expected to announce the decision during an event in Bareilly on October 13.
The Chief Minister is also scheduled to felicitate village watchmen at the Bareilly Police Lines during the programme.
The move comes after the state government raised the honorarium of cooks, Anganwadi workers and panchayat assistants in recent months. The government is now preparing to provide financial relief to village watchmen, who form an important link in the rural policing and information network.
Attached to local police stations, village watchmen relay information about suspicious activities, local disputes, and law-and-order issues to the police. They also help maintain communication between villages and police stations. They have been demanding an increase in their honorarium, and the proposed announcement is expected to address that demand.
With an estimated 60,000 village watchmen across the state, the proposed hike is expected to impose an additional financial burden of around Rs 7 crore per month and Rs 84 crore annually on the state exchequer.
Funds for the increase are likely to be provided for in a supplementary budget.
The government has taken similar decisions to increase the earnings of other categories of workers receiving an honorarium or allowance.
The monthly honorarium of around 3.53 lakh cooks preparing midday meals in government-run basic education schools has been increased from Rs 2,000 to Rs 3,000.
The honorarium of Anganwadi workers has been raised by Rs 4,000 per month, while that of Anganwadi helpers has been increased by Rs 2,000 per month.
Similarly, the monthly honorarium of more than 57,000 panchayat assistants has been raised from Rs 6,000 to Rs 9,000. The daily allowance of Provincial Guards (Prantiya Rakshak Dal) volunteers has also been increased from Rs 500 to Rs 600.
Separately, the government is considering increasing monthly pensions for senior citizens, destitute women and persons with disabilities from Rs 1,000 to Rs 1,500. The proposal, which has received in-principle approval from Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, is likely to be placed before the state Cabinet in the second half of November.
The schemes currently cover more than 67 lakh senior citizens, 42 lakh destitute women and 12 lakh persons with disabilities. If approved, beneficiaries would receive an additional Rs 6,000 annually.
(IANS)
