UP govt approves advance payment for Home Guards on election duty
Apr 19, 2024
Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh) [India], April 19 : The Uttar Pradesh Government on Friday approved the advance payment of duty allowances for Home Guards volunteers enlisted for duty during the Lok Sabha General Election 2024.
Under this, 40 per cent of the amount provisioned for duty allowance will be paid as advance to the Home Guards deployed for election duty, the UP government said in a press release.
The statewide implementation of this initiative is poised to offer considerable relief to the Home Guards tasked with election duties. This advance payment initiative aims to empower them to meet their familial obligations before undertaking their electoral responsibilities effectively.
In the state, along with security forces, Home Guards volunteers also play an important role in any sensitive situations, including general elections. Even without weapons, this force fulfils the responsibilities of external security excellently. That's why their duty is assigned in every election. This time, preparations are being made to send them on election duty not only in the home districts but also in other districts.
The Minister of the Home Guard Department has already announced that this time around 50,000 Home Guards will be deployed for election duty in various phases in the Lok Sabha general elections. In this regard, a proposal was sent by the Home Guards Department to give advance payment to the Home Guards volunteers.
Under this, the government has already approved the provision of Rs 2634 crore 39 lakh under the income expenditure for the financial year 2024-25. Now, permission has been granted to transfer 40 percent of this amount in advance to the bank accounts of Home Guards volunteers assigned to election duty for the Lok Sabha general elections 2024.
However, the government has also mentioned some conditions in this regard. According to the provisions given in the Financial Rules Collection, the government employee or officer who withdraws the money will be responsible for its management, and if any loss occurs, they will be held accountable. In addition, the Head of the Department will keep the Government/ Finance Department informed about the arrangement of all previously approved advances and the advances being approved now. The next advance will be proposed only after the adjustment is ensured.
According to the Procurement Manual, the Head of the Department will take necessary action at his level regarding the interest liability. Additionally, the Head of the Department will not keep the amount in question in any account other than the State GeM Pool Account.
