Rs 300 cr released as reward for newly elected panchayat officials: Haryana CM

Chandigarh (Haryana) [India], December 3 (ANI): Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Saturday said his government has released funds totalling Rs 300 crores as reward for the newly elected representatives of Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs).
"A total of 71,696 representatives have been elected for various PRI posts. As many as 40,000 of them were elected unanimously. The government has released Rs 300 crore as reward for them," said Khattar.
Addressing the oath-taking ceremony for the newly elected representatives of Panchayati Raj Institutions earlier on Saturday, the CM said, "Democracy begins from the panchayats. This is a important day," he said while administering oath to newly elected PRI representatives.
The PRI elections in Haryana were held in three phases and the results were declared in November.
Khattar added that he had shared the statistics on the state's panchayat elections during his visit to China in 2016, and it had left the Chinese government surprised.
"Even the Vedas have reference to panchayats and democracy. Our aim is to make the rural administration stronger," he added.
Highlighting his government's achievements in rural areas, the CM said the efforts in this direction are meant to make the panchayats financially stable.
Calling on the newly elected PRI representatives to work in an unbiased manner, the CM said, "We also have a plan to build separate offices for panchayats and panchayat secretaries," he said.
Khattar also lauded the contribution of Class-1 officers across departments for working as 'Gram Sanrakshaks' during the oath ceremony.
Nominated as 'Gram Sanrakshaks', they worked to resolve the problems of villagers and ensure the holistic development of the villages adopted by them, he said. (ANI)