The Uttar Pradesh government is set to increase the monthly honorarium of around 60,000 village watchmen, or ‘gram praharis’, by Rs 1,000, starting October 13.

The proposed increase will raise their monthly honorarium from Rs 2,500 to Rs 3,500, marking a 40 per cent hike. Each village watchman will receive an additional Rs 12,000 annually following the increase.

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath is expected to announce the decision during an event in Bareilly on October 13.

The Chief Minister is also scheduled to felicitate village watchmen at the Bareilly Police Lines during the programme.

The move comes after the state government raised the honorarium of cooks, Anganwadi workers and panchayat assistants in recent months. The government is now preparing to provide financial relief to village watchmen, who form an important link in the rural policing and information network.

Attached to local police stations, village watchmen relay information about suspicious activities, local disputes, and law-and-order issues to the police. They also help maintain communication between villages and police stations. They have been demanding an increase in their honorarium, and the proposed announcement is expected to address that demand.

With an estimated 60,000 village watchmen across the state, the proposed hike is expected to impose an additional financial burden of around Rs 7 crore per month and Rs 84 crore annually on the state exchequer.

Funds for the increase are likely to be provided for in a supplementary budget.

The government has taken similar decisions to increase the earnings of other categories of workers receiving an honorarium or allowance.

The monthly honorarium of around 3.53 lakh cooks preparing midday meals in government-run basic education schools has been increased from Rs 2,000 to Rs 3,000.

The honorarium of Anganwadi workers has been raised by Rs 4,000 per month, while that of Anganwadi helpers has been increased by Rs 2,000 per month.

Similarly, the monthly honorarium of more than 57,000 panchayat assistants has been raised from Rs 6,000 to Rs 9,000. The daily allowance of Provincial Guards (Prantiya Rakshak Dal) volunteers has also been increased from Rs 500 to Rs 600.

Separately, the government is considering increasing monthly pensions for senior citizens, destitute women and persons with disabilities from Rs 1,000 to Rs 1,500. The proposal, which has received in-principle approval from Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, is likely to be placed before the state Cabinet in the second half of November.

The schemes currently cover more than 67 lakh senior citizens, 42 lakh destitute women and 12 lakh persons with disabilities. If approved, beneficiaries would receive an additional Rs 6,000 annually.

Lucknow, Oct 11: The Samajwadi Party (SP) Chief Akhilesh Yadav on Sunday asserted that a change of power was certain in 2027 Assembly elections and criticized the Election Commission (EC) over alleged police action on the protesters in the national capital.

Speaking to the press, after paying respects to Loknayak Jayaprakash Narayan at the Jayaprakash Narayan International Centre (JPNIC) in Lucknow on latter’s birth anniversary, the SP supremo said that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will be shown the door by people in 2027 Uttar Pradesh polls and the ‘partisan’ Election Commission won’t be able to save its ‘sinking’ fortunes.

Swearing by the Loknayak Jayaprakash Narayan (JP)’s ‘Total Revolution’ (Sampoorna Kranti) slogans, Akhilesh Yadav said that the movement remains relevant even today for challenging the regime and his party will bring out the ‘desired’ result by walking down that path.

“The process of change has begun. The anguish among the public will accelerate the process of change,” he added, after garlanding the statue of Loknayak Jayaprakash Narayan at the memorial.

The SP supremo also took a swipe over Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath over the Ayodhya seat, days after he challenged the latter to contest the elections from the holy city.

Responding to the Chief Minister’s questions regarding Ayodhya, Akhilesh Yadav said that “arrogant individuals” would not be able to withstand the strength of his ‘PDA’ (Pichhda, Dalit, Alpsankhyak—Backward, Dalit, and Minority) alliance.

The SP Chief said that the public is now familiar with the BJP’s politics and the party will have to give befitting reply to its actions.

He claimed that a change would occur in 2027 and that the process has already begun.

He said that the BJP is rattled by political strength of the PDA and questioned the role of Election Commission.

He said that EC’s duty is to encourage maximum voter participation and ensure a smooth voting process.

Raising the issue of the alleged assault on residents of Uttar Pradesh in Delhi, Akhilesh Yadav questioned the Election Commission’s accountability and demanded its resignation.

Jalgaon, Oct 11: A shocking incident has come to light in Maharashtra Jalgaon district, where a newlywed woman attempted to kill her husband and three members of his family by mixing rat poison into their food just two days after their wedding, officials said on Sunday.

Police have arrested two women, including the bride, who were allegedly attempting to flee after the incident. The case came to light after the affected family members fell ill, prompting police to launch an investigation into the suspected poisoning and the circumstances surrounding the women’s disappearance.

The incident took place in Velhane village in Parola taluka of Jalgaon district. According to officials, the couple got married on October 7, and the alleged poisoning occurred on October 9, the third day of their wedding celebrations.

Police said the bride allegedly mixed rat poison into the food prepared for her husband and his family members. After the food was consumed, she reportedly left the house with another woman, taking some jewellery and the money received during the wedding with her.

The incident came to light when members of the family began experiencing health problems after consuming the food. The elders of the house were subsequently admitted to a government hospital in Dhule for treatment, officials said.

After receiving information about the suspected poisoning, police reached the spot and initiated an investigation into the incident.

The incident triggered anger among the family members and local residents, who gathered outside the police station and blocked the road. They demanded that the two women be arrested and that appropriate charges be filed against them.

The police intensified their efforts to locate the accused. The two women, who were allegedly trying to escape, were eventually detained near Nimgul village in Dhule district, officials said.

After their arrest, preliminary details emerged about the accused women’s backgrounds. Police found that the bride, identified as Suman Subhash Sahni, was a resident of Jharkhand. The other woman, identified as Aarti Suryaksh Patel, was also reportedly from Jharkhand.

It was also reported that the man had married Suman after paying Rs 2.5 lakh.

Police are investigating the allegations and gathering further details to establish the exact circumstances of the incident.