CHANDIGARH: Ahead of the Lok Sabha polls, the cash-strapped Punjab government on Friday announced 6% dearness allowance (DA) for its just about three.25 lakh government employees and 3 lakh pensioners from February 1.
This would put an extra annual burden of Rs 720 crore at the state exchequer. Chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh announced this all over a cabinet assembly. After coming to power in March 2017, the Congress government had no longer released any DA instalment. State government’s annual wage and pension invoice is just about Rs 36,000 crore.
Terming this as an election gimmick, Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal rapped the Congress government for approving only one instalment of DA, when 4 — amounting to Rs four,000 crore — are nonetheless pending. He stated the Congress birthday celebration had betrayed the farmers by way of promising whole mortgage waiver and youths via its Ghar Ghar Rozgar scheme.
Before this, the DA used to be announced in December 2016. The state government employees’ unions were keeping protests since final year for announcement of the 4 pending installments of DA, aside from different issues. The employees have been due for the 5th installment of DA this January.
In a bid to woo the citizens ahead of the 2017 state meeting elections, the then SAD-BJP government had announced an build up of seven% within the DA of its employees and pensioners. The allowance is paid to the government employees and pensioners to mitigate the impact of inflation on them.
The sixth Punjab pay commission constituted in February 2016 and headed by way of former leader secretary of the state, Jai Singh Gill, is but to finalise its record. The state government has extended its time period till December. Whereas, the neighbouring state of Haryana had announced implementation of the seventh Central Pay Commission in October 2016.
This would put an extra annual burden of Rs 720 crore at the state exchequer. Chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh announced this all over a cabinet assembly. After coming to power in March 2017, the Congress government had no longer released any DA instalment. State government’s annual wage and pension invoice is just about Rs 36,000 crore.
Terming this as an election gimmick, Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal rapped the Congress government for approving only one instalment of DA, when 4 — amounting to Rs four,000 crore — are nonetheless pending. He stated the Congress birthday celebration had betrayed the farmers by way of promising whole mortgage waiver and youths via its Ghar Ghar Rozgar scheme.
Before this, the DA used to be announced in December 2016. The state government employees’ unions were keeping protests since final year for announcement of the 4 pending installments of DA, aside from different issues. The employees have been due for the 5th installment of DA this January.
In a bid to woo the citizens ahead of the 2017 state meeting elections, the then SAD-BJP government had announced an build up of seven% within the DA of its employees and pensioners. The allowance is paid to the government employees and pensioners to mitigate the impact of inflation on them.
The sixth Punjab pay commission constituted in February 2016 and headed by way of former leader secretary of the state, Jai Singh Gill, is but to finalise its record. The state government has extended its time period till December. Whereas, the neighbouring state of Haryana had announced implementation of the seventh Central Pay Commission in October 2016.
6% DA for Punjab employees, pensioners
![6% DA for Punjab employees, pensioners]()
Reviewed by Kailash
on
February 09, 2019
Rating:
