SHILLONG: With the recent appointment of former Chief Secretary WMS Pariat as the co- chairman of Meghalaya Resource and Employment Generation Council, , he joined the club of political appointees availing perks and facilities under ‘A ‘ category status.
As per A category status, Pariat will avail Rs 10,000 per month as honorarium, and TA/DA is subject to a maximum of Rs 15,000 per month. The house rent allowance is Rs 10,000 per month, while electrical energy allowance Rs 1,000 per month and hospitality charges Rs 2,000 per month.
This in totality will come to Rs 38,000 per month. Moreover, for conveyance, there is provision for an allotted car with driver or cost of the requisitioned or hired vehicle and driver at the rate of Rs 400 per day is given. Medical benefit is free.
While allotted petrol is 200 litre per month, mobil oil is 4 litre per month.
Moreover, one telephone at the residence and another at office is also allotted.
As far as secretarial assistance is concerned, one each SA, LDA or typist, driver and an additional driver are allotted. Among the grade 4 staff, one can be appointed at office and two at the residence.
Besides, two newspapers and an Indian magazine can be availed by persons who are appointed under A category.
Pariat had to sit at home only for two months after he retired on June 30 as Chief Secretary and from September 1, he assumed charge as the co-chairman of Meghalaya Resource and Employment Generation Council.
Pariat in fact got an extension of six more months as Chief Secretary since January this year to continue in office till June 30. But, during the period of extension, most of the time, he was under medical treatment. This had deprived the tenure of six more months to the next senior officer Barkos Warjri as he took over from Pariat only in July this year. The Chief Minister in the past had defended the extension of service to Pariat by saying that he was an efficient officer and would be able to handle both Lok Sabha and district council elections which in fact was held in the absence of Pariat and under the supervision of then Acting Chief Secretary Barkos Warjri.
It was on August 28 that the Government appointed Pariat in the post of co-chairman of Meghalaya Resource and Employment Generation Council which is headed by Chief Minister Mukul Sangma’s wife and legislator Dikkanchi Shira as the Chairperson whose perks and facilities are equivalent to that of Cabinet minister.
Besides Pariat, other members of Meghalaya Resource and Employment Generation Council include one more co-chairman ( Congress member and former DGP B.K Dey Sawian) , and Vice Chairman, Manbor S Warjri, who is the Meghalaya Pradesh Congress Committee functionary.