Employees of Punjab government might have to wait longer to get arrears

Employees of Punjab government might have to wait longer than they expect to get arrears due to them as per recommendations of Sixth Pay Commission. The issue generated heat in Vidhan Sabha on Thursday as it became amply clear that there was a huge question mark on the Rs 3,000 crore required to dispense all the arrears for which there was no provision in this year’s budget.

The issue was raised by Sunil Jakhar, Ajit Inder Singh Mofer and Rajinder Kaur Bhattal of Congress after finance minister Manpreet Badal’s clarifications on budget left no doubt that the government was in no mood to even consider giving arrears to employees this year.

Attacking the government for its failure, Sunil Jakhar said, "The government is claiming to improve its fiscal deficit situation but it is at the cost of employees who are not being retired and given extensions so it does not have to pay their gratuity and other benefits. No employment is being generated because it will mean more liabilities for the government. Beyond acknowledging that arrears would burden the state with Rs 3,000 crore, finance minister Manpreet Badal has been absolutely silent on when they would be dispensed. This clearly means that the government is backtracking on its commitment and trying to push it for the next government to deal with."

Ajit Inder Singh Mofer, while raising the issue, said, "IAS and IPS officers have been given their arrears from central funds, but what about the common man, who needs money even more."

Giving clarifications on budget, the FM said that the share of centrally sponsored schemes in the state amounted to Rs 1,950 crore, which, if added to the state budget, raised it to over to Rs 11,000 crore.

He said the emphasis in the budget was on irrigation, power, urban development, education and nutrition.

However, the FM was silent on questions raised by Jakhar on the issue of productivity bonus recommended by Sukhbir-Kalia Committee. "This bonus is like a backdoor entry to the farmers’ pockets. The government will take payments of electricity bills and can stop giving reimbursements any time. It is not clear when they will reimburse in the first place and where will that money come from since the committee’s recommendations have fallen hugely short of expectations. It was projected that Rs 4,000 crore will be generated but only Rs 2,600 crore will be garnered by the FM’s own admission."

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Punjab government to release the arrears to its employees

Punjab government has been working on the modalities to release the arrears to its employees after implementing the pay commission report.

Punjab finance Minster Manpreet Singh Badal on Wednesday night hinted that arrears will be given to state employees in next fiscal year.

He was interacting with media after presiding over the golden jubilee celebrations of Our Lady of Fatima. He said that even though we have implementing the pay commission report from August 1, this year.

To give arrears of 43 months of pay difference we have waiting report of our expert committee which was formed after the pay commission report, he added. The 5th pay commission has recommended the 27 % pay hike of Punjab employees from January 1, 2006.

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Punjab Government released DA instalment to its employees

The Punjab Government released DA instalment to its employees and pensioners for July at the rate of five per cent.

The arrears upto December 2009 would be deposited in the GPF of the employees, an official spokesman said here.

DA would be paid in cash from January 2010 and this will entail an annual expenditure of Rs 455.50 crore to the state exchequer, he said.

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Punjab government notified revised pay scales of teachers

The Punjab government yesterday notified revised pay scales of teachers and other academic staff of universities, government colleges and government-aided private colleges of the state.

The revised scales of pay and designations/service conditions, as decided by the government of India, Ministry of Human Resource Development and pay fixation tables will be applicable to teachers and equivalent positions in the library and physical education cadres as well.

Payment of revised scales shall be from January 1, 2006. Arrears will be released in installments. The revised pay under these rules shall be drawn from the first day of August, 2009.

Punjab Commerce and Management Association (PCMA) has welcome the Notification of Department of Higher Education Government of Punjab for Implementation of UGC pay scales in universities and colleges of Punjab.
The Punjab Government has implemented the recommendations of the Ministry of Human Resources Development Government of India in toto. It is first time in the history of Punjab that Recommendations of the UGC and MHRD has been implemented in toto.

Prof. Ashwani Bhalla Executive Vice President of the PCMA said that PCMA was regularly and repeatedly appealing government of Punjab to Implement the pay scales for college and university teachers in toto. He said that creation of posts of professors in the colleges and award of pay-band-IV i.e (37400-67000) with grade of 9000 is a remarkable step of the government of punjab which will attract the talent in the teaching profession.

He said that New notification will definitely encourage the teachers towards the research and quality teaching. It is pertinent to mention here that as per the notification there will be three tier posts of teachers in the colleges and universities: Assistant Professors, Associate Professors and Professors. PCMA also welcome the career advancement scheme for the college and university teachers which is incentive based and encourage quality teaching .

A resolution was passed by the Executive committee of the PCMA to extend special thanks to Punjab Federation of College and University teachers organisation (PFACTO) who under the leadership of Dr. Jagwant Singh work very hard for getting the demands of the teachers accepted. The executive committee of the PCMA also extended heartiest thanks to the bearaucracy of Punjab and specially the Minister for Higher education, Dr. Upinderjeet Kaur for taking personal pains in getting the notification issued. Dr. Prem Kumar President Emiritus of the Punjab Commerce and Management Association said that on 5th September (Teachers’ day) a national Level convention of teachers of commerce and management teachers will be held at Khalsa College Patiala which will pass a resolution for extending thanks to the government of Punjab.

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Punjab colleges protesting against the state government for UGC scale

In most of the colleges in Punjab, faculties are protesting against the state government for non-implementation of UGC scale.
Revealing their future plans,the representatives of Punjab Federation of University and College Teachers Organisations (PFUCTO) announced that on September 4 , teachers from all over the state would proceed on mass casual leave to hold a rally in Chandigarh. PFUCTO representing five universities, 54 government colleges and 170 non-government colleges of Punjab and Chandigarh would protest against the state’s failure to notify the revised UGC pay scales approved by the Punjab Cabinet on June 18.

However, the irony is that teachers admit that such protests send wrong signal to students but also feel that it is the only option to get their demands fulfilled. Head of political science department at Arya College, PS Bhogal, said, “Undoubtedly these protests or agitations affect the college environment and ultimately even studies suffer but now the situation is that whether it is the government or the management of some institutes, they do not act unless and untill teachers or employees start expressing their anger in the form of protest.”

Meanwhile, refusing to agree that such protests “affect the mind of students”, a senior professor at Government College, PPS Sohi, said, “Teachers understand their responsibility and so stage their peaceful protests during non-interaction period. I think it is our system which is responsible.”

In earlier agitations, teachers had worn black badges on July 29, staged demonstrations during off periods on August 3 and ceased work for an hour to hold campus rallies on August 7.

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Punjab government notified that the allowances the employees

The Punjab government today notified that the allowances the employees would get with revised salaries following the implementation of the Fifth Pay Commission.

The Prinicipal Secretary, Finance, Karn Avtar Singh said that the revised salaries, with new allowances, will be effective from August 1 and the new salaries will be paid to employees by the end of this month.

The Fifth Pay Commission report regarding new pay scales was notified. But notification for the allowances was pending.The government has decided to retain the old classification of cities, followed from 2003, for the payment of the house rent allowance. The revised HRA will be paid according to the old classification.



For employees residing in cities with a population of 50 lakh and above, the HRA will be 30 per cent of the basic pay, while for cities within the 5 lakh and 50 lakh range, it will be paid 20 per cent of the basic pay. For employees posted in Patiala and Bathinda, the HRA is 15 per cent. For those posted in cities with more than 50,000, but less than 5 lakh population, the HRA will be 12.5 per cent, and those in cities or towns less than 50,000 people, including villages, will get 10 per cent of pay as HRA.

The Principal Secretary further added that the notification on revised pension is expected to be issued tomorrow and effective from August 1 and the revised salaries as well as allowances will create an extra burden of Rs.250 crore per month for the government. The government is taking steps to meet this expenditure, said by him.

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Punjab Government to revise the pays of 14000 contractual teachers

The Punjab Government has constituted a cabinet sub committee to revise the pays of 14000 contractual teachers as per the recommendations of 5th pay commission, who were recruited in this year by the education department on contract basis.
Stating this Dr Upinderjit Kaur, Education Minister Punjab said that these teachers were recruited as teaching fellows in elementary directorate and educational service providers in the secondary directorate in this year on contractual basis. The matter was placed before the cabinet meeting held recently who has approved the suggestions which were fully endorsed by the Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal also.

During deliberations the Punjab Chief Minister has constituted a sub committee to consider the recommendations of 5th pay commission for fixation of pays to these teachers she said.

The minister added that education department would recruit about 11000more teachers in the next month on the same wages to be fixed by this cabinet sub committee. She said that after these recruitments the department would be able to provide the teachers in all the schools.

She reiterated her commitment that she would put her best efforts to streamline the education department with fresh recruitments and promotions to the teaching facility and by fulfilling the genuine demands of the teachers associations for the betterment of the department.

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Punjab Chief Minister approved the revised pay scales to employees

The Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal Thursday approved the implementation of the revised pay scales w.e.f. January 01 ,2006 to its employees in wake of the recommendations of the 5th Punjab Pay Commission and the Implementation Committee subsequently constituted by the State Government.

The state government however didn’t notify the amended grades which Pay Commission had revised after submitting the final report. The Pay Commission citing typing mistake had written to state government to implement the pay scales with certain amendments benefitting Teachers, Nursing Staff and Policmen.

A spokesman of the Punjab Government said that Badal cleared the file to enable the state government to implement the new pay scales according to the General Conversion and the Fitment Tables as recommended by the Pay Commission. The Chief Minister also approved the rate of annual increment to be granted to the employees at the time of fixation as recommended by the Pay Commission.

The Commission has recommended huge financial benefits to about 3 lakh employees and 2.60 lakh pensioners imposing an additional expenditure of Rs. 2050 crores per annum for serving employees and Rs. 650 crores for pensioners. Recommendations of the Commission are estimated to cost Rs. 3450 crores for serving employees and Rs. 1350 crores for pensioners for payment of arrears. The cabinet has already approved the implementation of pay commission report.

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Punjab Government has announced to enhance the rate of DA

Good news in the election time.

Punjab Government has announced to enhance the rate of dearness allowance (DA) payable to the State Government employees, Pensioners/ Family Pensioners from 54% to 64 % w.e.f. 1.1.2009 on the Central Govt. pattern.

The amount of DA from 1.1.2009 to 30-4-2009 would be credited to the General Provident Fund Accounts of the employees and for the period from 1.5.2009 enhanced DA would be paid in cash.

However in the case of pensioners, Dearness Relief shall be paid in cash w.e.f 1.1.2009.

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Punjab Pradesh Congress recommendations of the Sixth Pay Commission

The working president of the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee Lal Singh today demanded the immediate implementation of the recommendations of the Sixth Pay Commission in the state. He pointed out, the Chairman of the Punjab Pradesh Congress Campaign Committee, Capt Amarinder Singh has been demanding for a long time its implementation, but the state government was delaying it and hence denying its employees the crucial benefits.

In a statement issued here today, Singh observed, the state government seems to be deliberately delaying the implementation of the pay commission recommendations. He said, the government was just holding out the lollypop to the employees that the recommendations would be implemented after the elections.

The PCC working president pointed out, the Election Commission of India had already cleared the implementation of the pay commission recommendations. Now it was solely upto the state government to implement it. “Any delay in implementing the recommendations would simply mean that the state government was not sincere towards its own employees”, he remarked, while adding, it (the state government) can no longer take the refuge under the excuse that due to the imposition of the election code of conduct the recommendations cannot be implemented.

Singh observed, the Akali-BJP government has at best been indifferent to the problems of the employees and at worst it has been hostile towards them. Otherwise, he asked, what is the logic in holding back the rightful due of the employees. He pointed out, given the skyrocketing of prices under Akali-BJP regime, the immediate implementation of the pay commission recommendations becomes more important.

Source : PunjabNewsline.com

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Punjab Government has sought the approval of Election Commission

The Punjab Government has sought the approval of Election Commission of India to enable the Chairman of 5th Punjab Pay Commission to present its report to the state government.



Disclosing this here Monday late at night a spokesman of the Punjab Government said that the State Chief Secretary R.I. Singh in a letter to the Chief Electoral Officer Punjab Kusumjit Sidhu had solicited the permission of Election Commission of India so that the Chairman of the 5th Punjab Pay Commission may be advised accordingly.

It may be recalled that the Punjab Government had established the 5th Pay Commission on December 19, 2006 . The terms of reference of this Commission were issued on March 3, 2008 and the terms included inter-alia the submission of the report of Commission within one year.

The letter further indicated that accordingly after concluding the process of hearing of all concerned including departmental representatives the Commission has completed its report and is ready to present the same to the state government.

In view of the model code conduct having been enforced due to forth coming Lok Sabha polls, the Pay Commission requires the permission of Election Commission of India for presenting the report to the State Government.

Source : Punjab Newsline.

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