Sub:- ELECTIONS – General Elections to the House of People & A.P. Legislative Assembly, 2024 – Payment of Remuneration and TA/DA to personnel deployed for election related duties – Instructions – communicated – Reg.

Ref:
1. From ECI, New Delhi, No.464/INST/EPS/2023/Remuneration & TA/DA, Dt.06.06.2023.
2. From ECI, New Delhi, No.464/INST/EPS/2023/Remuneration & TA/DA, Dt.17.11.2023.In the references cited, the Election Commission of India has issued instructions on Payment of Remuneration and TA/DA to personnel deployed for election related duties.2. Copies of the references cited are herewith communicated to all the Collectors & District Election Officers of Pill.dhra Pradesh and they are requested to follow the instructions of ECI for making the Payment of Remuneration and TA/DA to personnel deployed for election related duties in connection with General Elections to the House of People & A.P. Legislative Assembly, 2024.Subject: Payment of Remuneration and TA/DA to personnel deployed for election related duties – regarding.

References: All the Commission’s Instructions referred to:

 

• (i) 218/4/96/PLN-IV dated 09.02.1996
• (ii) 458/4/98/Vol.II/PLN-IV dated 08.12.1998
• (iii) 464/INST/2009/EPS dated 09.01.2009
• (iv) 464/INST/2012/EPS dated 29.01.2012
• (v) 464/INST/2013-EPS dated 12.04.2013
• (vi) 464/INST/2013/EPS dated 06.09.2013
• (vii) 464/INST-PAY /2014-EPS dated 28.02.2014
• (viii) 464/I.NST/2014-EPS dated 21.03.2014
• (ix) 464 /INST /2022-EPS dated 09.06.2022

Election Commission of India is vested with the superintendence, direction, and control of all elections to the Parliament and to the Legislature of every State/UT and of elections to the offices of President and Vice President held under clause (1) of Article 324 of the Constitution of India. Conduct of elections involves diverse activities carried out by an election machinery consisting of officials and staff requisitioned from various departments including polling personnel/police personnel/ staff under Section 26, 27, 28, 28A, 29 and 159 of Representation of the People Act, 1951.

2. The duty of conducting free, fair and peaceful election rests on the election machinery deployed on the ground which comprises personnel from various authorities i.e. Central Government, State Government, PSUs, Local Authorities etc.

3. In view of difficult nature of the work performed by polling/police personnel etc., the Commission has directed to pay remuneration for election duty carried out by them. In addition to remuneration, admissible TA/DA and any other allowance shall also be paid as per the norms by their parent department.

4. Further, instructions issued from time to time in the matter have been reviewed, consolidated and in supersession of all the previous instructions, the Commission has directed to issue a comprehensive direction in order to eliminate any ambiguity on the subject cited above.

 

A. REMUNERATION TO PERSONNEL ON ELECTION DUTY: POs, APOs, OPOs and Polling Staff Election Remuneration Rates 2024

(i) Remuneration is minimum amount payable to personnel for attending training sessions, collecting polling material and for performing duty on polling day/ counting day: This instruction is also applicable to police personnel who are called for training and actually deployed on election related duties on· polling/ counting centers on the same criteria as being paid to the polling/ counting personnel.

(ii) Polling/ counting personnel deployed on reserve duty should be paid remuneration at the same rates as polling/ counting personnel on actual duty.

(iii) Remuneration shall be paid for both General and Bye elections.

(iv) The rates of remuneration of the polling official, going to the Polling Stations in difficult terrain where polling parties depart 3 clays or more in advance shall be double than normal rates.

(v) The rates recommended by the Commission are minimum rates to be paid mandatorily to the employee mentioned in the table at Point C. States/UTs are at liberty to pay higher rates of remuneration than the minimum rates fixed by the Commission. State/UTs, paying remunerations at the higher rates than the minimum rates recommended by the Commission, can continue to pay at such higher rates.

(vi) Other officials related to conduct of elections can also be included by State Governments as deemed fit under this provision.

(vii) Irrespective of the payment of remuneration, packed lunch and/ or light refreshment shall be provided for polling personnel including police personnel, personnel in mobile parties, Home Guards, Forest Guards, Gram Rakshak Dal, NCC cadets, ex-Servicemen, volunteers etc. deployed at all polling stations/counting centres for election related work.

B. PAYMENT OF TA/DA: POs, APOs, OPOs and Polling Staff Election Remuneration Rates 2024

(i) All persons put on election duty should be paid, as far as possible, 100% TA/DA admissible to persons deployed either in advance or immediately within 24 hours of the completion of their duty. Alternatively, 80% of TA/DA can be paid in advance and remaining 20% amount can be paid within 30 days of election.

(ii) TA/DA, as admissible, shall be paid for both General and Bye elections

(iii) The Drawing and Disbursement Officer shall not wait for any specific request from the officers appointed for election related duty for drawing the advance, but shall treat the appointment order issued by the District Election Officer/Returning Officer itself as the proof and request on behalf of the officers/ officials concerned.

(iv) If, after receipt of advance amount, any official, for any reason whatsoever, does not find it possible to perform the official duty assigned to him, he shall forthwith return the runount so paid and obtain a receipt therefore.

(v) The District Election Officers/Returning Officers shall be personally responsible for ensuring the payment as directed above ru1d inform the Head of Departments and Drawing and Disbursement Officers well in time before the duties commence for prompt payment of TA/DA.

(vi) In some instances, officers/officials may have to appear before Courts to attend judicial proceedings which arise on account of duties performed during elections, sometimes, even after their retirement. In such cases, officers/ officials shall be reimbursed the amount of TA/ DA incurred on account of their appearance before Courts as per the rates of TA/DA admissible at the time of retirement of the officers/ officials concerned. However, in case of any difficulty, there shall be a provision for claim of TA/DA from the Commission through Chief Electoral Officer concerned provided that no TA/DA has been claimed from court or any other office by these officers/officials.

 

C. RATES OF REMUNERATION: POs, APOs, OPOs and Polling Staff Election Remuneration Rates 2024

The existing rates of remuneration and TA/DA to all election staff deployed for election related duties as applicable to them respectively m·e given below:

REMUNERATION
Designation of officers/ officials	Minimum Rate of remuneration (in Rupees)
Zonal Magistrate (if deployed, other than Sector Officer)	Rs.1500 lump sum
Presiding Officer & Counting Supervisor	Rs.350 per day or part thereof
Polling Officer & Counting Assistant	Rs.250 per day or part thereof
Class-IV employees	Rs. 200 per day or part thereof
Video Surveillance Team, Video Viewing Tean1, Accounting Terun, Control Room and Call Centre Staff, Media Certification ru1d Monitoring Committee, Flying Squads, Static Surveillance Terun, Expenditure Monitoring Cell	Class -I/II (Rs.1200 Lump Sum) , Class-III (Rs.1000 Lump sum) Class -IV (Rs.200 per day or part thereof)
Income Tax Inspector	Rs.1200 lump sum
Micro Observer	Rs. 1000 lump sum
FOOD/ REFRESHMENT
Packed Lunch and/ or light refreshment for polling personnel including police personnel, personnel in mobile parties, Home Guards, Forest Guards, Gram Rakshak Dal, NCC cadets, ex-Servicemen, volunteers etc. deployed at all polling stations/counting centres for election related work.	Packed lunch or Payment of Rs.150 per day or part thereof.
TA/DA
Category of Beneficiaries		Rate
Persons deployed for election related duties.		100% TA/DA Method-1: 100% of TA/DA Either within 24 hours of completion of election duty or in advance. Method-2: 80% of TA/ DA in advance & 20% within 30 days of completion of election.

 

E. EXPENDITURE: POs, APOs, OPOs and Polling Staff Election Remuneration Rates 2024

(a) On account of payment of remuneration and expenditure on food/ refreshments incurred shall be borne in the following manner:

(i) By Government of India during elections to Lok Sabha;

(ii) By the State Government during election to Legislative Assemblies and;

(iii) Shared on a 50:50 basis during simultaneous election to Lok Sabha and Legislative Assembly by the Government of India and concerned State Governments.

(iv) Payment of TA/DA shall be initially paid by the parent/election department, as the case may be, of the polling/police personnel ru1d other personnel deployed for election related duties ru1d shall be borne as per above mentioned manner.

The above instruction shall be brought to the notice of all concerned immediately for compliance.

POs, APOs, OPOs and Polling Staff Election Remuneration Rates 2024 DOWNLOAD