Kolkata, March 20: The Election Commission has requested a report from the West Bengal government regarding the announcement of an ad-hoc bonus for citizen volunteers working under both the West Bengal Police and Kolkata Police, as well as for village police volunteers, for the fiscal year 2025-26. This request was made following a notification issued from the state secretariat, Nabanna.
According to administrative sources, this announcement is significant as citizen volunteers play a crucial role in maintaining law and order across the state and take on additional responsibilities during elections. The provision of these financial benefits is seen as recognition of their service.
Political reactions have emerged in response to this announcement, with some opposition factions alleging that such measures are aimed at appeasing citizen volunteers ahead of the elections. However, the administration clarified that this step is part of a regular process and has been taken based on recommendations from the finance department.
The opposition has also claimed that this announcement was made after the notification for the assembly elections, thus violating the Model Code of Conduct (MCC). In light of these developments, the Election Commission has sought a detailed report from the state government.
The state government’s notification stated that citizen volunteers serving under the state and Kolkata police, as well as village police volunteers, will receive this bonus during the current fiscal year. The ad-hoc bonus has been increased by a one-time amount of ₹600. On February 27, the state government announced an increase in the ad-hoc bonus for its employees, which has now been extended to citizen and village police volunteers.
With this announcement, citizen volunteers and village police volunteers will now receive ₹7,400, up from the previous ₹6,800. Notably, on February 27, the state finance department issued a notification stating that government employees not covered under the ‘productivity-based bonus scheme’ and whose revised monthly salary does not exceed ₹46,000 by March 31, 2026, will receive a bonus of ₹7,400 each.
Subject to certain specific conditions, contract employees and those who have completed six months of service are also eligible for this bonus. Payments will be made in accordance with the West Bengal Service (Revision of Pay and Allowances) Rules, 2019, which do not include allowances such as house rent, medical allowances, and subsidies. It is also noteworthy that just hours before the formal notification of the assembly elections was issued on March 15, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee announced an increase in the monthly honorarium for priests and muezzins.
In a social media post, Banerjee announced a ₹500 increase in the monthly honorarium, bringing it to ₹2,000.