Shimla, May 26 (IANS): The Himachal Pradesh High Court has directed the state government to frame a policy for the employees of the panchayati raj institutions.

"Since the state government has framed policies for conferment of daily wage, work-charge status and regularization, there is need to frame a scheme and policy for the employees of the panchayati raj institutions, gram panchayats, block samitis and zila parishads," said a division bench of the high court comprising Justices Rajiv Sharma and Sureshwar Thakur.

Admitting the writ petition of a panchayati raj employee Shashi Kanta, the bench directed the state to formulate a scheme to confer daily wage status upon the petitioner and similarly situated persons after completion of eight years of their service within 12 weeks and thereafter to regularise them as vocational and craft teachers.

"The panchayats are also state within the meaning of Article 12 of the Constitution. The petitioner and similarly situated persons are appointed under the Himachal Pradesh Panchayati Raj Act of 1994," said the judgment, which was provided to the media on Tuesday.

The petitioner is working as part-time craft teacher but she has not been conferred daily wage status.

There are about 3,243 panchayats in the state. The honorarium paid to the petitioner for working for up to four hours is Rs.2,000 per month.