PANJIM: The BJP led State government has finally introduced common cadre for Village Panchayat staff that includes peons and clerks, while the drivers are excluded from the list.
The Directorate of Panchayat on March 5 issued a notification with regards to ‘Common List of Panchayat Staff’ under Goa Panchayat (staffing pattern, scales of pay and mode of recruitment of staff of Panchayats) (Fifth Amendment) Order, 2019.
“There shall be a Common List of the Panchayat staff consisting of all the staff appointed/recruited/retained in service of all the Village Panchayats in the State of Goa as per the provisions of the Goa Panchayat (staffing pattern, scales of pay and mode of recruitment of staff of Panchayats) Order, 2003, as amended from time to time,” Director Panchayat Rajan Satardekar said in the notification.
The BJP government had in 2012 announced its plans to create common cadre for panchayat staff and subsequently, the new Panchayat Minister Mauvin Godinho took the lead in materializing it.
Speaking to HERALD, Satardekar said that the Common Cadre list is applicable to clerks and peons while the drivers are excluded.
He said that with the Common Cadre coming into force, the department can undertake, time to time, for administrative or other reasons, transfer employees/staff from common list stated from one Village Panchayat to another Village Panchayat. “Currently, this facility is not available. The panchayat staffs are recruited from the particular village and continue to serve in the same place till retirement,” Satardekar explained.
The transfer Order issued by the Director of Panchayats will be binding on all Village Panchayats with immediate implementation. While undertaking the transfer, the department has to ensure that the staff strength at each panchayat is maintained.
Further, the department, however, has to ensure that two years before the date of retirement on superannuation of the concerned staff; they are transferred back to the Village Panchayat which had appointed him/her originally so that the retirement on superannuation takes place at the respective original posting. The panchayats are also empowered to initiate disciplinary action against the staff.
It is important to note that, the common cadre staff will continue to be paid the salary and allowance as per his or her admissibility by the VP where the concerned staff is working for the time being.
Meanwhile, the department has decided to provide training to those existing peons, who have not passed SSC examination and their grade pay would be enhanced accordingly.
