Tamil Nadu Village Panchayat Secretaries (Conditions of Service) Rules, 2013

Purpose and relevance

The Tamil Nadu Village Panchayat Secretaries (Conditions of Service) Rules, 2013 regulate the service conditions of Secretaries working in Village Panchayats. They concern personnel administration rather than procedures for buying, registering or establishing ownership of land. Property buyers and owners may encounter Village Panchayat Secretaries in local administration, but the rules do not set out land title or transaction requirements.

Recruitment and qualifications

The Tamil Nadu Village Panchayat Secretaries (Conditions of Service) Rules, 2013 provide that:

• The district concerned is the recruitment unit, including for applicable reservation and reservation for women.
• Appointment is made through an Appointment Committee.
• A candidate must have passed the Secondary School Leaving Certificate examination or another examination recognised by the Government as equivalent.
• A candidate must be a resident of the Village Panchayat concerned. If no qualified and suitable resident is available, a candidate residing within the relevant Panchayat Union block may be considered.
• The maximum age is 30 years on the first day of July in the selection year. The maximum is 35 years for candidates belonging to the listed reserved classes.

Service records and probation

The Tamil Nadu Village Panchayat Secretaries (Conditions of Service) Rules, 2013 require a service register for each Secretary, maintained under the custody of the Block Development Officer (Village Panchayats). A newly appointed Secretary must complete two years of duty within a continuous period of three years. During probation, the Secretary must undergo one month of basic foundation training and pass the prescribed test at the end of training.

Transfers and leave

The Tamil Nadu Village Panchayat Secretaries (Conditions of Service) Rules, 2013 allocate transfer powers as follows:

• The Block Development Officer handles transfers within a block.
• The Personal Assistant (Development) to the Collector handles transfers between blocks in the district.
• The Commissioner or Director of Rural Development and Panchayat Raj handles inter-district transfers based on a specific report from the Collector.

The rules allow twelve days of casual leave each year, medical leave subject to the stated limits, thirty days of leave without pay and allowances each year, and specified maternity and medical leave for female Secretaries. The Tamil Nadu Leave Rules applicable to Government servants do not apply.

Discipline, suspension and appeals

The Tamil Nadu Village Panchayat Secretaries (Conditions of Service) Rules, 2013 permit censure, stoppage of increment and dismissal, as well as recovery of financial loss. A reasonable opportunity to respond must be given before a penalty is imposed. Suspension is permitted in the public interest during grave disciplinary inquiries or criminal investigation or trial, with subsistence allowance at 50 per cent of last pay and allowances.

An appeal lies to the Collector within thirty days, followed by a second appeal to the Commissioner or Director of Rural Development and Panchayat Raj within sixty days. The State Government may revise disciplinary or appeal orders at any time. Existing post holders are protected from adverse effect when the rules come into force.