Dearness Allowance: West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari has confirmed that the DA announcement for government employees and pensioners will be made in the next state Budget, according to a PTI report.
Addressing a preparatory meeting for the BJP’s special training camp on Sunday, the CM assured that the state government will make announcements regarding DA in the upcoming . Further, on the matter of the 7th state pay commission, he added that the panel and DA arrears between 2016 and 2019 have been paid to nearly 3 lakh employees and pensioners, the report added.
Annapurna Yojana scheme: Latest update
Adhikari also gave an update on the scheme, stating that his government has kept its poll promise to double financial assistance for women and transferred ₹3,000 each to 50 lakh beneficiaries in West Bengal. Earlier, beneficiaries received ₹1,500 under the TMC’s Lakshmir Bhandar scheme.
“On the very first day, we gave the Annapurna Yojana benefit to 28,25,769 women, which is our biggest achievement,” said. Addressing criticisms of the 12-page application form, the CM said it is for verification purposes.
“The money to be given is from the government exchequer. So, it has to be properly verified. There are 27 lakh names out of 2.2 crore Lakshmir Bhandar beneficiaries who were not on the voter list … three lakh more are males who took advantage of the women-only . This is dangerous corruption,” he alleged.
West Bengal to implement Supreme Court’s DA order
The West Bengal employees’ forum has stated that Adhikari has assured them that the state government will implement the on payment of dearness allowance (DA) dues, as per another PTI report.
Leaders of the Joint Struggle Forum of State Government Employees on 1 June told reporters that during a meeting, the CM assured them the apex court’s orders would be implemented, the report added.
Notably, the SC, in a judgement delivered in February this year, noted that DA is a legally enforceable right and directed the West Bengal government to pay thearrears of its employees’ dues for the period between 2008 and 2019.
DA gap between Centre, state to be bridged?
Employee representatives said that central government staffers receive DA at 60% of , while West Bengal government employees receive it at 18%, leaving a 42 percentage-point gap between the two. “The chief minister has assured us that the DA gap with the Centre will be bridged in phases. We expect a major announcement on this issue in the state budget on 22 June,” Bhaskar Ghosh, convenor of the forum, told reporters.
He added that Adhikari had committed to implementing the recommendations by January next year. “Issues relating to pay disparities among state government employees, including temporary staff, were also discussed during the meeting. The chief minister himself proposed that regular meetings be held between the state government and employees’ organisations. A framework for such consultations is being worked out,” Ghosh added.
Bengal 7th state pay commission formed
Earlier in May, the West Bengal government approved, in principle, the formation of its 7th state pay commission to decide salary and for state government employees, educational institutions, government corporation and board staff, and state government-aided bodies. The decision was made at a Cabinet meeting on 18 May, chaired by Adhikari at Nabanna, the West Bengal state secretariat.
According to the state Women, Child, and Social Welfare Minister Agnimitra, the state’s 7th pay commission will consider an upward revision of employees’ salaries. She added that the scope of a pay hike would also extend to staff of statutory entities such as civic bodies, local bodies, education boards, and those working in state-run education institutions, as per a PTI report.
(With inputs from PTI)
Disclaimer: his story is for educational purposes only. The views and recommendations made above are those of individual analysts or broking companies, and not of Mint. We advise investors to check with certified experts before making any investment decisions.