Ahead of the Assembly polls, Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini on Tuesday announced that Sarpanches can now undertake development works up to Rs 21 lakhs in their Gram Panchayats without e-tendering. Previously this limit was Rs 5 lakh. Additionally, the Chief Minister announced that Sarpanchs can now claim travel expenses at a rate of Rs 16 per kilometer when using their car or taxi for Gram Panchayat work. The bill for claiming TA/DA will now be approved at the level of the BDPO, he added. The Chief Minister made these announcements while addressing Panchayat representatives from across the state at the State-Level Panchayati Raj and Sarpanch Sammelan organized in Kurukshetra. Addressing the issue faced by Gram Panchayats regarding the cost of soil filling, the Chief Minister announced that once the Gram Panchayat passes and sends the resolution for soil filling, this cost will now be included in the work estimate. Previously, the cost of soil filling was not included in the work estimate, requiring the filling work to be done either through MNREGA or at the villages own expense. To address the issue of junior engineers not preparing estimates for several months, the Chief Minister announced that once the Sarpanch uploads a resolution passed by the Panchayat for any development work on the HEW portal, the junior engineer will be required to prepare and upload the estimate within 10 days. This measure aims to expedite the pace of development works. Announcing the increase in the prescribed fees for lawyers handling court cases, Chief Minister said that the fee for lawyers at the district or sub-division level will be raised from Rs 1,100 to Rs 5,500, and the fee for cases in the High Court and Supreme Court will be increased from Rs 5,500 to Rs 33,000. Additionally, the Chief Minister announced an increase in the expenditure limit from the Panchayat Fund for events organized by the Gram Panchayat. The limit for Independence Day and Republic Day events, as well as programs organized for the visit of any special officer or minister, will be increased from Rs 3,000 to Rs 30,000. Similarly, the limit for expenses related to purchasing the national flag, distributing sweets on national festivals, and publicizing Panchayat activities will be increased from Rs 500 to Rs 5,000. In light of government programs to be held in villages, the Chief Minister also announced that the post of Sarpanch will now be included in the protocol list. The Sarpanch will sit with the DC and SP during such events. On this occasion, the Chief Minister also announced an increase in the monthly honorarium of Safai Karamcharis in rural and urban areas by Rs 1000. Describing village governance as a strong picture of democracy, the Chief Minister stated that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has set a target of making India a developed nation by the year 2047. To achieve this goal, it is crucial for every village to be developed. The Chief Minister assured that the state government will ensure there is no shortage of funds to accelerate pace of development in the villages. Referring to the discrimination by previous governments in village development, the Chief Minister said that they often avoided allocating funds for this purpose. Before 2014, the State Finance Commission grant for Panchayats was Rs 600 crore. Under PM Modis leadership, this grant for Haryana has increased to Rs 2968 crore. Furthermore, Rs 7276.77 crore has been allocated for rural development in the budget for the financial year 2024-25, compared to Rs 1898.48 crore during the year 2013-14 under the previous government. Referring to the various powers provided to Panchayati Raj institutions, Chief Minister stated that the current government is continuously working to strengthen these institutions. In addition to providing 50 percent representation to women, the states educated Panchayats are being made smarter. The present government has appointed 3,000 computer operators in Gram Panchayats. Additionally, Gram Panchayats are now permitted to purchase a desktop, printer, and UPS through GeM from their own funds, enabling them to become IT-enabled and modern, and to operate central and state-level portals effectively. He further mentioned that to expedite development works, the state government has decided that unregistered contractors will now be able to undertake work up to Rs 50 lakhs in a year. If these works are completed on time, these contractors will be eligible to take on projects worth Rs 1 crore the following year. Approves 43% stipend increase for MBBS Interns In another event, Saini sanctioned a 43% increase in the stipend for MBBS interns of all Govt. and private Institutions affiliated to Pt BD Sharma UHS, Rohtak. Now the interns will receive Rs 24,310 which is a significant increase from the present stipend of Rs. 17000.  Giving more information in this regard, an official spokesperson informed that the last revision in the internship stipend was done in 2018, from Rs. 12,000 to Rs 17,000 per month. Considering the above factors, the revised stipend for MBBS interns is proposed to be Rs. 24,310 per month, which includes the DA adjustment over the period from 2018 to 2024.  

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