Question : EMPLOYEES ON ELECTION DUTY

(a) whether the Government have issued instructions ensuring that the Government employees deputed for Assembly and Parliamentary Election duty in future are provided public means of transport in up and down directions with specific schedule of availability in advance;

(b) if so, whether the Government have issued instructions ensuring collection of ballot boxes from the place of duty of election staff within one hour after completion of election process;

(c) if so, whether the Government have also issued instructions ensuring that payment of Election duty emoluments are paid to election staff at the place of duty; and

(d) if so, the details thereof ?

MINISTER OF LAW, JUSTICE & COMPANY AFFAIRS AND SHIPPING (SHRI ARUN JAITLEY)

(a) The Election Commission has informed that it has issued standing instructions to the Returning Officers that they should arrange for the transport of the polling parties i.e. employees deployed on election duty by suitable deployment of the vehicles available with them and if need be, by requisitioning additional vehicles.

(b) The Election Commission has also informed that it has issued standing instructions to the Returning Officers, Presiding Officers, etc. that after the completion of the poll, the ballot boxes shall be collected at the storage center from the place of duty of the election staff without any avoidable delay.

(c)&(d) The Election Commission has further informed that it has issued instructions that all staff deployed on election duty should be paid, as far as possible, 100% of the TA/DA admissible to them immediately within 24 hours of the completion of their duty with the following relaxations:


(i) If any State has adopted the practice of paying 100% of the TA/DA as advance, they may continue the practice.

(ii) States which do not follow the above practice may follow the practice of paying 80% of the TA/DA admissible to the staff as advance and the balance 20% being paid within thirty days of the completion of the election.