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| Timely salaries, DA for employees | | | JAMMU: While Finance Minister Dr. Haseeb Drabu was presenting the budget, government employees and pensioners were anxiously waiting to hear good news promised to them by the PDP-BJP government when they assumed office.
The moment Drabu began reading the last pages of the budget speech, employees began congratulating each other for slew of measures announced for them. Thought they are still waiting for the finance department to explain how it would happen but the promise of timely salaries has been welcomed with open arms. Drabu said that a large number of government servants have to wait for months together to get their salaries under plan head.
The new finance minister said that PDP-BJP government has decided to shift all the plan revenue expenditure on revenue account from 2015-16 to address hardships of these employees. This was followed by Drabu announcing release of two instalments of Dearness Allowance (DA) due from January, 2014 amounting to 17 percent. He said that this could not be paid to state government employees/pensioners so far due to financial difficulties faced by the previous government in the aftermath of floods in the state.
He appreciated the state government employees and pensioners for the patience shown in this regard. Drabu said that a budgetary provision of Rs. 2200 crore has been kept during the next year for making this payment. He further said that DA pending March 31, 2015 shall be credited into the G.P. Fund account of the employees while DA will be paid in cash from April onwards. Drabu said that all employees covered under the National Pension Scheme (NPS) and pensioners will, however, receive the arrears in cash.
Making a mention of the persistent demand from the women employees of the state that they should be treated at par with central government employees with regard to admissibility of Child care leave, Drabu proposed to introduce Child Care Leave in state rules in terms of which, the women government employee shall become entitled to child care leave of two years in entire service for taking care of two eldest surviving children whether for rearing or for looking after any of their needs, such as education, sickness etc.
Drabu announced a high power committee of ministers and some external experts to examine the issue of the regularisation of 61000 casual and seasonal labourers engaged at various levels by officers subordinate to the administrative departments. He said that state government has decided to create 3,660 posts of helpers for regularization of as much number of DRWs.
Besides, law officers of the government such as government advocates, public prosecutors and standing counsels who had been demanding a substantial increase in the scale of their monthly retainership have also been taken care of. Drabu proposed to earmark an additional amount of Rs. 2 crore for enhancement of the retainership of various classes of Law Officers.
Saying that Numberdars and Chowkidars are a vestige of an earlier era of revenue administration, Drabu maintained that since they have lost relevance after the 3-tier governance model was institutionalized, a committee comprising the Finance Minister, Revenue Minister and the Rural Development Minister will be set-up to look into how they could be re-adjusted or made part of the new system in place. He further said that this committee will examine all the relevant issues, discuss with the stakeholders and submit their recommendations within three months. |
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