Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Friday asked village heads to rise above parochial considerations and work for the all-round development of villages, while also announcing that sarpanchs will get an honorarium of Rs 10,000 a month from August 15.
Speaking at a ‘Sarpanch Milni’ programme, Mann said sarpanchs must ensure transparent use of public funds, end groupism, promote communal harmony and lead efforts to make villages drug-free, clean, green and pollution-free. The announcement comes with Punjab set to go to polls early next year.
Addressing the gathering, Mann said, “Panchayats are known as the foundation of democracy because they have immense power and their decisions are obeyed by the entire village with respect. It is the bounden duty of every sarpanch to safeguard the interests of villagers and cherish their aspirations.”
He added, “Around 70 per cent of our country’s population lives in villages, due to which panchayati raj institutions are regarded as the lighthouse of democracy. These institutions act as a catalyst for disseminating the benefits of the state government’s pro-people and development-oriented schemes at the grassroots level.”
He said while the state government frames policies, sarpanchs and panchs play a major role in implementing them on the ground. “I urge all sarpanchs to rededicate themselves to development works from today so that the people are immensely benefited,” he said.
Mann said the honorarium for sarpanchs would be raised from Rs 2,000 to Rs 10,000 a month from August 15. “Earlier, my predecessors had promised an honorarium of Rs 1,200 to the sarpanchs, but that decision never saw the light of day,” he said.
The Chief Minister added the government was issuing grants for works of public importance that were already under the direct supervision of panchayats, and that several village development works were also carried out under their guidance. He asked sarpanchs to supervise these works and services closely and said, “Sarpanchs should remain away from any sort of undue interference in these works.
It is very unfortunate that in the past, several works in villages were jeopardised due to widespread groupism.” He said ending groupism should be a top priority for the holistic development of rural areas, adding that in a democracy, the person or party that secures a majority wins, but once elected, “the sarpanch belongs to the whole village”.
In his address, Mann combined the announcement of a higher monthly honorarium with a call for sarpanchs to focus on clean administration, social harmony and village development, while asking them to work for the entire village instead of narrow interests.
– Ends
Published By:
India Today Web Desk
Published On:
Jun 26, 2026 22:20 IST
