State paid Rs 1cr over 2 years for babus’ at-home peons

Panaji: Over the past two years, the state exchequer has paid Rs 1 crore to appoint muster roll peons at the residences of IAS and Goa civil service (GPS) officials.

There are over 125 IAS and GPS officers who are entitled to a muster roll peon at their residence, and they get Rs 515-612 per day to recruit a muster roll peon. Since 2024, 30 officials availed the scheme.

The scheme is not available for ministers. This was revealed when chief minister Pramod Sawant, who is also minister of general administration, answered in the negative Benaulim MLA Venzy Viegas’ question on whether the facility of muster roll peon is available to a minister.

In 2022, Goa govt issued an order declaring the entitlements of muster roll peons to IAS officers and category ‘A’ officers of the Goa civil service to be posted at their residences. As per the order, the chief secretary is entitled to three muster roll peons or multi-tasking staff, while secretaries in the super time scale are eligible for two multi-tasking staff.

Officers serving as secretaries, special secretaries, additional secretaries, joint secretaries, additional joint secretaries, are entitled to one multi-tasking staff, as are IAS officers of the senior time scale.

A Goa civil service officer of the senior scale and above is also permitted to have one muster roll peon.

The order states that officials permitted to keep muster roll peons also have the right to choose a peon of their choice. The salary of the appointee is deducted from the department the officer is posted with. Wages payable to the muster roll peon must be as mentioned in the notification by the commissioner of labour and employment, govt order stated.