Haryana Chief Minister Manohar lal on Monday announced to double the monthly allowance being given to watchmen from `3500 to ` 7000 in the State.
“From now onwards, the watchmen would get uniform allowance of ` 2500 instead of ` 2000 and Rs 1000 instead of Rs 750 earlier for stick, battery, whistle and umbrella. They would also be provided bicycles within three months,” said Manohar lal, while addressing a state level chowkidar Sammelan in Hisar.
He said that the watchmen would get the increased monthly allowance with effect from April 1.
The Chief Minister also announced that those watchmen who were removed from the services during the period from 2014 to 2017 but they keep on discharging their services during these years would also be provided their full salaries. About 150 to 200 watchmen would be benefited with this decision.
Complaints had been received that these watchmen worked during this period but were removed from the services without giving them their salaries, he added.
Manohar lal said that the present State Government has always been concerned about the welfare of watchmen. The State Government had already increased their age of retirement from 60 years to 65 years. The government is soon going to advertise the posts of group D category in which there would be no interview and selection would be made on the basis of written examination.
Apart from this, weightage of five marks would be given to those candidates in whose family no member is in the government job. The watchmen who is 10th pass and having age of less than 42 years could also apply for these jobs, he added.
While describing the watchmen as the real vigilantes of villages, he said the crime and other incidents are usually spotted by the police but there are some hidden crimes which are reported only by the watchmen.
The present State Government is committed to restore the status of watchmen by giving them proper dress and stick as during the last few years, their work has been limited to village announcers only. The watchmen are linked with the activities of three government departments of Home, Revenue and Development and Panchayats, said the Chief Minster.
He further said that the governments at both the Centre and the state are working with the spirit of ‘Antyodaya’ propagated by Pt. Deen Dayal Upadhyay for the upliftment of those sections of people which lagged behind in the society due to any reason.
Manohar lal also urged the watchmen to remain vigilant from the opportunist and assist the State Government to apprise the people at the grass root level of various welfare policies and programmes of the State Government.