Bathinda, June 25: The administration has finalized a major policy decision to scale up the monthly allowance of elected village heads to ₹10,000 to strengthen local self-governance, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann announced on Wednesday. Addressing local body representatives during an interactive convention in Bathinda, the Chief Minister reordered the priorities of rural development by emphasizing that village leaders serve as the direct link between state policy and grassroots execution.
The Chief Minister asserted that Panchayati Raj institutions manage approximately 70 percent of the population, making them essential catalysts for distributing public welfare benefits. He declared that past practices of administrative deductions from village grants have been completely eliminated under the current honest governance model.
“Previous governments had promised an honorarium of ₹1,200 to Sarpanches, but the promise was never fulfilled and they had to run from pillar to post for it,” CM Bhagwant Singh Mann stated. “However, his government ensured an honorarium of ₹2,000 for Sarpanches, which will now be enhanced to ₹10,000 per month.”
Shifting focus to community well-being, the Chief Minister maintained that local leaders must direct their attention toward establishing drug-free environments to safeguard the youth. He affirmed that maintaining social cohesion, communal brotherhood, and green cover within rural zones remains just as vital as physical construction works.
“It is the moral duty of every Sarpanch to ensure that every single penny of taxpayers’ money is utilised in a transparent manner,” the Chief Minister declared. “This increase will help them support their families better while enabling them to work with even greater commitment towards the development of their villages.”
The briefing concluded with an assurance from the Chief Minister that the state exchequer will ensure a steady flow of developmental capital directly to the panchayats. He stated that the enhanced financial allowance is a direct step toward building a prosperous state model, adding that the administration will continue to extend complete structural support to all local bodies to guarantee transparent rural transformation.
