Sops for govt employees in election year

Bhopal, Jan 10: The state government announced sops for the government employees in view of the assembly elections that are scheduled in November this year. The long pending demand of the employees to provide dearness allowances (DA) at par with the Central Government employees has been accepted. Finance Minister Raghavji while talking to media persons said that the difference of nine percent DA between state government and Union Government would be abridged by July and the increased salary would be payable in August.

He mentioned that this would cost an additional burden of Rs 720 crore on the exchequer. When asked as how the government is going to manage this additional burden, the minister said provision in this regard would be made in the next budget. He refused to comment whether new taxes would be introduced. Raghavji further said that another demand from daily wagers was also pending that they had a service break of three years, due to which they were unable to get eligibility for regularization. During Congress government in 2001, the daily wagers were retrenched, and later when the BJP came to power, they were once against taken into job. The government has decided to include the period of three years in the service of the daily-wagers, he added.

In another major decision, the government decided to provide jobs of contract teachers in the pending cases of appointment on compassionate grounds. “If the aspirant agrees to work as contract teachers, can apply to the district collector and within one month he would get the job. We have given powers to the collectors for appointing contract teachers on compassionate grounds,” he added. The sub-engineers who had been working on daily wage basis would have to pass through an entrance test and get regularized. This would also help the government in filling the vacant posts.

Orders related to regularisaiton of contract teachers appointed in 2003 have also been issued. No decision was taken for those recruited in 2001, as a case in this connection is pending in High Court. In another decision, it was decided to provide three years’ relaxation for aspirants in appearing Madhya Pradesh Public Service Commission (MPPSC) examination in 2008-09 and 2009-10, because in the past exams were not conducted. These decisions were taken in a meeting with government employees associations on January 7. Finance Minister Raghavji, Water Resources Minister Anup Mishra, GAD Minister Ranjana Baghel, Chief Secretary Rakesh Sahni and other officials were present in the meeting.