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The swearing-in ceremony for newly elected representatives of Haryana's local bodies was held in Panchkula on March 25. The event saw 10 municipal corporation mayors, 28 municipal council chairpersons, and 687 ward councilors taking their oath of office.
During the ceremony, Chief Minister Nayab Saini released Rs 587 crore for municipal bodies and launched several digital initiatives including the e-Samadhan app, Urban Connect app, and municipality websites to improve urban services.
Increased Honorarium for Elected Representatives
Urban Local Bodies Minister Vipul Goyal announced significant increases in the monthly honorarium for elected municipal officials:
- Mayors: Increased to Rs 30,000
- Senior Deputy Mayors: Rs 25,000
- Deputy Mayors: Rs 20,000
- Municipal Council Chairpersons: Rs 18,000
- Municipal Committee Chairpersons: Rs 15,000
- Vice Chairpersons: Rs 12,000
Additionally, the honorarium for councilors has also been increased, though the specific amount wasn't mentioned.
Swearing-in Sequence
The oath-taking ceremony began with the mayors of Ambala and Sonipat who had won in by-elections, followed by mayors from eight other municipal corporations along with their ward councilors. After that, chairpersons and councilors of municipal councils and committees took their oaths, followed by those who won in by-elections.
Mayors Who Took Oath
- Ambala: Shailja Sachdeva (BJP)
- Yamunanagar: Suman Bahmani (BJP)
- Karnal: Renubala Gupta (BJP)
- Panipat: Komal Saini (BJP)
- Faridabad: Praveen Joshi (BJP)
- Gurugram: Raj Rani Malhotra (BJP)
- Manesar: Dr. Indrajit Yadav (Independent)
- Hisar: Praveen Popli (BJP)
- Rohtak: Ram Avatar Valmiki (BJP)
- Sonipat: Rajiv Jain (BJP)
Additional Financial Support
CM Saini announced several financial measures to support municipal bodies:
- Municipal Corporations can now undertake development projects up to Rs 10 crore on their own
- Municipal Councils and Committees can undertake projects up to Rs 2.5 crore
- Rs 1,000 will be provided for hiring a graduate youth to record ward meetings in the absence of ward secretaries
- Rs 1,600 per quarterly meeting for councilors
- Rs 3,000 per quarterly meeting for chairpersons
- Rs 20,000 for Municipal Councils and Rs 10,000 for Municipal Committees for organizing Republic Day, Independence Day, or CM program events
Increased Budget Allocations
The Chief Minister highlighted that the government has:
- Doubled the budget for municipalities to Rs 3,114 crore
- Increased the Urban Local Bodies Department budget to Rs 5,666 crore
- Increased municipal bodies' share from 7% to 9% of state resources
Digital Initiatives
The launch of online portals and mobile apps aims to improve citizen services and transparency. Secretary of Urban Local Bodies Department Vikas Gupta mentioned that these digital initiatives would make municipal services more accessible to citizens.
Women's Representation
CM Saini expressed satisfaction that women representatives were elected in greater numbers than the reserved positions required. Seven women mayors were elected against three reserved positions, indicating higher female participation in local governance.
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