A. REMUNERATION TO PERSONNEL ON ELECTION DUTY:
(i) Remuneration is minimum amount payable to personnel for attending training sessions, collecting polling material and for performing duty on polling day/counting day. This instruction is also applicable to police personnel who are called for training and actually deployed on election related duties on polling/counting centers on the same criteria as being paid to the polling/counting personnel.
(ii) Polling/ counting personnel deployed on reserve duty should be paid remuneration at the same rates as polling/ counting personnel on actual duty.
(iii) Remuneration shall be paid for both General and Bye elections.
(iv) The rates of remuneration of the polling official, going to the Polling Stations in difficult terrain where polling parties depart 3 days or more in advance shall be double than normal rates.
(v) The rates recommended by the Commission are minimum rates to be paid mandatorily to the employee mentioned in the table at Point C. States/UTs are at liberty to pay higher rates of remuneration than the minimum rates fixed by the Commission. State/UTs, paying remunerations at the higher rates than the minimum rates recommended by the Commission, can continue to pay at such higher rates.
(vi) Other officials related to conduct of elections can also be included by State Governments as deemed fit under this provision.
(vii) Irrespective of the payment of remuneration, packed lunch and/or light refreshment shall be provided for polling personnel including police personnel, personnel in mobile parties, Home Guards, Forest Guards, Gram Rakshak Dal, NCC cadets, ex-Servicemen, volunteers etc. deployed at all polling stations/counting centres for election related work.
B. PAYMENT OF TA/DA:
(i) All persons put on election duty should be paid, as far as possible, 100% TA/DA admissible to persons deployed either in advance or immediately within 24 hours of the completion of their duty. Alternatively, 80% of TA/DA can be paid in advance and remaining 20% amount can be paid within 30 days of election.
ii) TA/DA, as admissible, shall be paid for both General and Bye elections
( (iii) The Drawing and Disbursement Officer shall not wait for any specific request from the officers appointed for election related duty for drawing the advance, but shall treat the appointment order issued by the District Election Officer/Returning Officer itself as the proof and request on behalf of the officers/officials concerned.
(iv) If, after receipt of advance amount, any official, for any reason whatsoever, does not find it possible to perform the official duty assigned to him, he shall forthwith return the amount so paid and obtain a receipt therefore.
(v) The District Election Officers/Returning Officers shall be personally responsible for ensuring the payment as directed above and inform theHead of Departments and Drawing and Disbursement Officers well in time before the duties commence for prompt payment of TA/DA.
(vi) In some instances, officers/officials may have to appear before Courts to attend judicial proceedings which arise on account of duties performed during elections, sometimes, even after their retirement. In such cases, officers/officials shall be reimbursed the amount of TA/DA incurred on account of their appearance before Courts as per the rates of TA/DA admissible at the time of retirement of the officers/ officials concerned. However, in case of any difficulty, there shall be a provision for claim of TA/DA from the Commission through Chief Electoral Officer concerned provided that no TA/DA has been claimed from any court or any other office by these officers/officials.
E. EXPENDITURE:
(a) On account of payment of remuneration and expenditure on food/ refreshments incurred shall be borne in the following manner:
(i) By Government of India during elections to Lok Sabha;
(ii) By the State Government during election to Legislative Assemblies and;
(iii) Shared on a 50:50 basis during simultaneous election to Lok Sabha and
Legislative Assembly by the Government of India and concerned State Governments.
b) Payment of TA/DA shall be borne by the parent department of the polling/ ( police personnel and other personnel deployed for election related duties.
The above instruction shall be brought to the notice of all concerned immediately for compliance.
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