Team Herald
MARGAO: The former sarpanch of Betalbatim Maria Fernandes has come under scrutiny after it was revealed that she was a beneficiary of the Dayanand Social Security scheme (DSS) and was taking the honorarium as a panch member.
As per documents received under RTI, that sought details on the amount of honorarium paid to her from May 2012 to December 31, 2014 when she was the sarpanch, Fernandes received Rs 1,22,000.
At the same time, the documents confirmed that she has been receiving a monthly payment under the DSS scheme since October 2007 till May 2014 with payments ranging between RS 1,000, 2,000 and Rs 3,000.
Sources close to the former sarpanch said that she confirmed accepting the DSS and the honorarium and that she asserted that honorarium is not tantamount to accepting a salary.
The complaint against her is that she cannot accept dual income from the government, as per norms and is entitled to accept the DSS, as her right as a senior citizen but should then not accept the panch honorarium. It was pointed out that the honorarium is known as the members’ salary in the budget head of the govt of Goa.
This development comes against the backdrop of the demand made by the Salcete Panchayat Forum to the government to increase the honorarium amount claiming that the sum was too paltry and did not match the kind of efforts they put in the district administration. Goa Panchayati Raj Union convenor Santan Rodrigues weighed in the debate and felt that senior citizen should get the DSS, as the panch honorarium cannot be accepted as salary, whereas officials of the Directorate of Panchayats have said that as per the rules elected representatives can only accept a single source of income from the government.
