Panchayat Account Assistants working in different offices in violation of mandate

SRINAGAR — Panchayat Account Assistants (PAAs), who were recruited to work as the custodians of Panchayats, are working in different offices in violation of the government order.

Official sources informed the news agency KNO that most of the Panchayat Account Assistants are working in offices of Assistant Commissioner Development (ACD), Assistant Commissioner Planning (ACP), District Panchayat Officer (DPO), Executive Engineer offices and Block Development offices.

They said that PAAs were recruited to work at the Panchayat level and implement Rural Development schemes at the ground level.

Commissioner Secretary of Rural Development Department, Mandeep Kaur told KNO that Panchayat Accounts Assistants will replace Panchayat Secretaries as the first signatories of all government schemes including MGNREGA. They have been also directed to upload approved GPDPs on the JK Panchayat portal.

He said that officials have been directed that the records of audits conducted on the accounts of Halqa Panchayats should be handed over to PAAs.