No salaries yet, govt staff getting jittery
Ruchika M. Khanna
Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, September 10
The tall claims made by the Punjab Government notwithstanding, hundreds of government employees have not received their salaries till date. The government had yesterday claimed that it had never defaulted on paying salaries and wages, but 10 days into the new month and employees claim that they have not received their salaries for August so far.
Of the total monthly salary bill of Rs 1,200 crore (besides Rs 500 crore as pension bill), the state is yet to release salaries amounting to Rs 250 crore. Those who have not received their salaries are mainly employees of the Education Department, some wings of the Irrigation Department, rural doctors and pharmacists and staff of government-aided schools.
Sources said of the 3.15 lakh employees of the state government, almost 20,000 employees had not given salaries.
Dr Aslam Pervez, state president of the Rural Medical Services Association, said around 3,600 employees of the Health Department, who get salaries through grant-in-aid given to the zila parishads, were not paid this month. Rural doctors, pharmacists, and Class IV employees of the department are yet to get their salaries for August as the government is yet to release grant-in-aid given to the zila parishads.
“For us, this is a perennial problem. The government has failed to address our concerns. We have been demanding that our salary should be paid directly by the government,” he said.
Meanwhile, employees of the Education Department, have decided to go on a war path. Harnek Singh Mavi, press secretary of the Government Teachers Union, said if they did not get their salaries by September 12, they would gherao all district treasury offices.
Besides salaries, the government has also failed to release 8 per cent dearness allowance to its employees, due since January although the civil and police top brass have got the DA. The employees are also yet to get 30 per cent arrears of the Fifth Pay Commission.
A senior official of the Finance Department told The Tribune that releasing salaries was an ongoing process. “The Deputy Chief Minister had yesterday clarified that we have never defaulted on the payment of salaries although these could get late by a day or so. The delay, if any, is mainly because of late receipt of salary bills from various departments,” he claimed.
Ruchika M. Khanna
Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, September 10
The tall claims made by the Punjab Government notwithstanding, hundreds of government employees have not received their salaries till date. The government had yesterday claimed that it had never defaulted on paying salaries and wages, but 10 days into the new month and employees claim that they have not received their salaries for August so far.
Of the total monthly salary bill of Rs 1,200 crore (besides Rs 500 crore as pension bill), the state is yet to release salaries amounting to Rs 250 crore. Those who have not received their salaries are mainly employees of the Education Department, some wings of the Irrigation Department, rural doctors and pharmacists and staff of government-aided schools.
Sources said of the 3.15 lakh employees of the state government, almost 20,000 employees had not given salaries.
Dr Aslam Pervez, state president of the Rural Medical Services Association, said around 3,600 employees of the Health Department, who get salaries through grant-in-aid given to the zila parishads, were not paid this month. Rural doctors, pharmacists, and Class IV employees of the department are yet to get their salaries for August as the government is yet to release grant-in-aid given to the zila parishads.
“For us, this is a perennial problem. The government has failed to address our concerns. We have been demanding that our salary should be paid directly by the government,” he said.
Meanwhile, employees of the Education Department, have decided to go on a war path. Harnek Singh Mavi, press secretary of the Government Teachers Union, said if they did not get their salaries by September 12, they would gherao all district treasury offices.
Besides salaries, the government has also failed to release 8 per cent dearness allowance to its employees, due since January although the civil and police top brass have got the DA. The employees are also yet to get 30 per cent arrears of the Fifth Pay Commission.
A senior official of the Finance Department told The Tribune that releasing salaries was an ongoing process. “The Deputy Chief Minister had yesterday clarified that we have never defaulted on the payment of salaries although these could get late by a day or so. The delay, if any, is mainly because of late receipt of salary bills from various departments,” he claimed.
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