Jharkhand chief minister Hemant Soren on Thursday announced a major incentive for panchayat secretaries across 4,300 panchayats in the state.

He said that from this fiscal (2023-24), every year five best-performing panchayat secretaries will be taken on overseas tours along with their families.

Soren made the announcement while distributing appointment letters to 1,633 panchayat secretaries and other appointees in the revenue registration and land reform department, finance department and food supply department at a function in Ranchi.

The announcement received thunderous applause from the gathering as the panchayat secretaries — often known as last mile bureaucrats — seldom receive such recognition despite being burdened with conducting gram sabha proceedings and ensuring the delivery of welfare schemes to the last mile.

“It would provide a sense of competition among the panchayat secretaries to make their panchayats among the five ‘adarsh (model) panchayats’ and ensure an overseas trip. The panchayat secretaries have often raised voices for being ignored by the administration despite sharing the bulk of the gram sabha activities,” said a senior official in the state panchayati raj department.

Addressing the appointees, Soren said: “The state hopes that after your appointment, you would discharge your responsibility with full sincerity and work to get the state out of the cycle of poverty, illiteracy and backwardness. If you take one step, the government will always be ready to take a hundred steps.”

The chief minister continued to reiterate that providing employment is the topmost priority of the government. “The process of appointments in different departments has begun and will continue in the coming days. There will be large-scale recruitment of teachers and other vacant posts in government departments,” Soren said.