Employee DA hopes dashed

TT, Special Correspondent, 11 February 2020, Calcutta: Bengal finance minister Amit Mitra did not allot enough funds in the budget to give hope to nearly 8 lakh state government employees and staff of state-aided institutions who have been demanding dearness allowance on a par with their counterparts at the Centre.

“Whatever could have been done within the limited resources has already been done. One can always keep asking, but clothes must be made according to the available cloth. If we get money in future, we can consider it (demand for DA). All clarifications have already been given by the finance minister,” said chief minister Mamata Banerjee during a news conference after the budget was tabled in the House.

She apparently lost her cool when more questions were asked on the subject.

This year, the state has hiked the allotment under the salary head by Rs 3,946.45 crore from last year’s revised budget of Rs 48,958.07 crore. It hiked Rs 2,519.41 crore in the pension and other retirement benefits from last year’s revised budget of Rs 18,324.64 crore.

“The hike made by the state government clearly suggests it is in no mood to clear DA dues of state government employees. The additional allotment had to be made as the sixth pay commission was implemented in Bengal and the state would have to give a secured increment of three per cent of the basic pay of the employees every year,” said a senior government official.

Sources said central government employees were getting 17 per cent DA after the seventh pay commission had been implemented from January, 2016.

Since the sixth pay commission was implemented for the state government employees on January 1, 2020, no DA was announced.

“Both the Centre and the state implemented new pay structure once the DA reached 125 per cent of the basic pay. But the state government employees were lagging behind the central government counterparts as they are getting 17 per cent DA on their enhanced basic pay, which is still elusive for the state government employees,” said a source.

According to a rough estimate by the finance department, a sum of Rs 8,200 crore would be required to pay the DA on a par with the rate given by the Centre .

“It is unfortunate that the state has money to give doles to clubs but it remained silent when it comes to clear the DA dues,” said an employee of the land and land reforms department.