Chandigarh: The Punjab government has announced that panchs and sarpanches will no longer be allowed to travel abroad without prior permission from the state government. The Rural Development and Panchayat Department has framed a new policy, aligning the process with the one followed by government employees while applying for ex-India leave.
According to the new directive, panchayat representatives will now have to seek approval before travelling abroad to ensure that the functioning of village panchayats remains unaffected. Earlier, they were only required to inform authorities about their travel plans.
The department has issued orders to all district development and panchayat officers to implement the policy. The government noted that frequent foreign travel by elected panchayat members, many of whose family members live abroad, was affecting village administration.
Currently, Punjab has 13,228 sarpanches and more than 83,000 panchayat members. However, it remains unclear whether the new rules will also apply to block committee members and district council chairpersons.
