Pradhans take oath in Shimla

Shimla:Newly elected presidents and vice presidents from five districts of Himachal Pradesh took oath in Shimla on a cold and cloudy Wednesday .The new panchayats formally takes over later this month.

An official said 1760 people took oath from Shimla,Solan,Sirmaur,Kinnaur and Kaza block of Lahaul & Spiti district. The oath ceremony was held at the Peterhof ground.

Shimla had the highest oath takers at 726, followed by Sirmaur 456, Solan 422, Kinnaur 130 and 26 from Kaza block.

The elected members were first distributed a panchayati raj training kit.Followed by a brief oath ceremony.The oath was administered by the state chief minister Virbhadra Singh.

This time 114 panchayats have been elected unopposed and will receive a prize money of Rs 10 lakh each.

Oath ceremonies from the remaining districts will take place in Mandi  and Dharamsala.