Govt Faces the fears To Pay 9K-cr annual pay-out
To Govt Employee
JOB POLICY-But FM says HC order not meant
for all probationers
Chandigarh,
September 15: The cash-strapped Punjab government
faces the fear of another liability of over Rs 9,000 crore per annum, after the
Punjab and Haryana High Court quashed the recruitment policy of the state,
giving fixed pay to probationers. Though these
orders of a division Bench of the Punjab and Haryana High Court have been given
in a case filed by employees of Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL),
top officials in the government say that considering similar petitions filed by
probationers of the state government and apex court orders regarding equal pay
for equal work, they too will have to give all emoluments to their probationers
sooner or later.
Finance
Minister Manpreet Singh Badal, however, insists that the order passed by the
court two days back, is not binding on all state government probationers, and
relevant only for PSPCL. Interestingly, it is perhaps this
fear of the court judgment binding on the state that has prompted the Finance
Department to ask PSPCL to file an appeal against the High Court order as soon
as possible. The issue was discussed during a meeting between officers of the
two departments held yesterday.
27K RECRUITED SINCE 2015
■ In January, 2015, the
then Akali-BJP government decided to give newly recruited staff basic pay for
first three years.
■Initially, the probation
period was for two years, but on September 15, 2016, it was increased to three
years.
■The minimum salary
offered to a Class IV probationer is ~5,900 per month and the highest ~15,900
per month to a Class I probationer.
■Around 27,000 employees
have been recruited on probation since January 2015.
There
are almost 30,000 probationers of the state government recruited since January
15, 2015, when the decision to give basic pay (minimum of the pay band of the
said post) was taken by the then Akali BJP government.
The decision was taken to cut down on government expenditure, mainly on the
payment of salaries (which is now Rs
25,708.54 crore per annum) and accounts for almost 35 per cent of the
state’s total annual revenue receipts( Rs.73811.86 crore).
Officials in the Finance Department have told
The Tribune news paper that around
27,000 employees had been recruited on the probation basis by the government
since January 2015. Initially, the probation period was for two years, but
on September 15, 2016, the probation period was increased to three years. Since
then, the minimum salary offered to a Class IV probationer had been Rs 5,900
per month and the highest Rs 15, 900 per month to a Class I probationer. “The average annual increase in salary of a
probationer, if all emoluments are to be given, would be Rs 3.50 lakh. The
annual liability on salaries could increase by Rs 9400 crore,” said a senior
officer. If the orders for a full salary are implemented, the total amount
going for payment of salaries to employees alone would be Rs 35,000 crore —
47.5 per cent of the state’s total annual income.
Source: The Tribune.
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