Honorarium disparity peeves polling personnel
Source: Chronicle News Service
Imphal, April 18 2024:
As the state gets set for the general election to the 18th Lok Sabha, 2024 and polling personnel already reaching the polling stations assigned, many of the personnel have expressed discontentment citing disparity in the honorarium amount for different districts.
As the polling personnel departed from the respective district headquarters, several polling personnel raised the matter with officials concerned on Thursday.
According to one of the polling personnel assigned duty in Imphal East district, paying partial honorarium to polling personnel is not a new thing.
The polling personnel said that the honorarium for a polling team as fixed by the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Manipur is Rs 6700 without cost for webcast, which is Rs 300.Polling teams of Imphal West, Thoubal and Bishnupur districts received the actual amount of honorarium contrary to their Imphal East counterparts paid only Rs 5600.Upon raising complaint, the officials contended that they were simply doing as told by the RO.
Taking the matter seriously, the polling personnel, who spoke on condition of anonymity, asked if the CEO Manipur fixed the honorarium rate different for each district and the reason as well.