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| Increase honorarium of VDCs, release pending claims: Harsh Dev Singh | | Memorandum submitted to Home Minister | | Early Times Report
JAMMU, Mar 15: Referring to the announcement of Government of India (GOI) to revive the honorarium of VDC members rechristened as VDGs, Harsh Dev Singh Chairman-JKNPP sought the release of unpaid honorarium of the VDC members pending for the last 4-5 years besides increase in the amount being offered to the said groups.
In a memorandum to the Union Home Minister in New Delhi, Singh said that while the VDCs of Rajouri and Poonch had to be compensated for non-release of their honorarium for over 10 years, the VDCs of Udhampur, Reasi etc were without any relief for the last 5 years. Moreover several VDCs who were earlier getting between Rs. 8,000-11,000 as honorarium were being subjected to gross injustice by reducing the said amount to Rs. 4,000. He said that the honorarium of VDGs should be equivalent to minimum wages as being paid in other centrally governed UTs under the minimum wages Act.
Pointing towards the constitution of VDCs in 1996, Singh said that the members of the said committees were regularly paid honorarium from the date of such constitution till 2017 after which they were deprived of the same. He said that there used to be three SPOs in all the VDCs numbering none than 4,200 and having around 27,000 members. The honorarium paid to the VDC SPOs was equally distributed amongst the VDC members as per the prevalent practice. The said practice however was discontinued in 2017 and the entire honorarium credited into the accounts of SPOs resulting in genuine anger and resentment amongst the members of VDCs, said Mr. Singh.
He said that the VDCs had been protesting on roads for the last several years not only for revival of their honorarium but clearance of their pending claims which needed due attention of the govt of India. He said that Panthers Party had stood shoulder to shoulder with VDCs for settlement of their genuine claims and grievances and would continue to agitate the issue till full justice was done to them.
Lambasting the BJP govt for discarding the VDC members to languish and yell on roads for their wages for years together, Mr. Harsh Dev Singh said the nationalist people who rose to the occasion to become protective shield of the people, were used by the saffron party in its election campaigns for political gains. He regretted that after assuming power it ruthlessly ignored and disregarded them like disposable commodities.
Calling upon the GOI to take cognizance of the sacrifices made by the VDCs for more than two decades, Singh asserted that the deprived members perform similar duties as SPOs and as such they also need to be adequately paid for their services along with arrears besides restoration of benefits under AAY and scholarships to their families.
"Their pending wages which have remained unpaid for years should be immediately released. The facilities which were withdrawn from them should also be restored in their favour without any delay. They are the real heroes, brave-hearts and the saviours of the people. Their sacrifices should be acknowledged with dignity and honour. Panthers Party shall not relent unless they were restored with their rights and justice", said Singh. |
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