Mangalore : The Grama Panchayat Noukarara Sangha staged a protest in front of  Zilla Panchayat office on July 9, Monday, criticizing the state government’s apathetic attitude regarding their problems.

Addressing the protestors, CITU general secretary Vasanth Achary said that the state government  to keep its promise to consider Gram Panchayath senior bill collectors for the post of Panchayat secretary.

The protestors demanded grants of Rs. 25 lakh for each Gram Panchayat for development work and to pay salaries of Gram Panchayat workers. They informed that all the Gram Panchayat offices in Dakshina Kannada district were sending appeals to the state government for the implementation of the Third Finance Commission recommendations but nothing done so far.

They complained that, owing to the allocation of insufficient funds, Gram Panchayat workers were not getting paid on time and bill collectors, librarians, and pump operators, who were all employed as per established rules, were not receiving the benefits due to government workers.