ECI Announces Major Hike in Remuneration and Allowances for Polling Staff, Micro Observers, CAPF, and Others

By Our Correspondent

Agartala, August 9, 2025

The Election Commission of India (ECI) has announced a substantial increase in the remuneration, honorarium, and food allowances for all categories of personnel engaged in election duties, including polling officials, counting staff, micro observers, CAPF personnel, and support staff. The revision, issued through Press Note No. ECI/PN/285/2025 dated August 8, 2025, is the first major update since 2014–2016 and aims to fairly compensate the intensive work and long hours put in by election duty staff.

Under the new structure, Presiding Officers and Counting Supervisors will now receive ₹500 per day or ₹2,500 lump sum, compared to the earlier ₹350 per day or ₹2,000 lump sum. Polling Officers will be paid ₹400 per day or ₹1,600 lump sum, up from ₹250 per day with the same lump sum rate. Counting Assistants will now get ₹450 per day or ₹1,350 lump sum, compared to the earlier ₹250 per day or ₹1,350 lump sum.

For support staff, Class-IV employees on general duties will see their pay rise from ₹200 per day or ₹1,200 lump sum to ₹350 per day or ₹1,400 lump sum, while those assigned to call center/control room duties will now receive a ₹1,000 lump sum instead of ₹200 per day. Micro Observers will get ₹2,000 lump sum, double the earlier ₹1,000. Personnel in video surveillance teams, call centers, and media monitoring will see Class I/II rates increase from ₹1,200 to ₹3,000 lump sum, and Class III rates from ₹1,000 to ₹2,000 lump sum.

The food and refreshment allowance for polling personnel, CAPF, mobile parties, volunteers, NCC cadets, ex-servicemen, and others has been more than tripled from ₹150 per day to ₹500 per day.

Senior officers also benefit from the revision. Deputy DEOs will now receive at least one month’s basic pay as honorarium, a provision absent earlier. Gazetted CAPF officers (up to Medical Officer rank) will see their honorarium for duties up to 15 days rise from ₹2,500 to ₹4,000, and for more than 15 days from ₹1,250/week to ₹2,000/week. Subordinate CAPF officers (Inspectors, SIs) will get ₹3,000 for 15 days or less (up from ₹2,000) and ₹1,500/week for longer duties (up from ₹1,000/week). For other CAPF ranks (Head Constables, Constables), rates rise from ₹1,500 to ₹2,500 for 15 days or less, and from ₹750/week to ₹1,250/week for longer duties.

In addition, Assistant Expenditure Observers, Sector Officers, and Sector Police Officers will now be paid ₹10,000 (full-time or pro-rata), up from ₹7,500.

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