Shimla: Before implementing the code of conduct for the Lok Sabha elections, the Himachal government will issue orders using a new formula to pay the arrears of pay commission and dearness allowance.
Discussion regarding this is going on in the Finance Department and soon it will be finalized and the file will be sent to the Chief Minister. Finance Department Principal Secretary Devesh Kumar has also said that the new formula will be finalized soon.
It is noteworthy that on March 4, the state government had issued a notification to pay the arrears of New Pay Commission and Dearness Allowance, in which 1.5 percent arrears were to be paid in March and 0.25 percent arrears were to be paid every month from April 1st.
The employees had opposed this formula, due to which the order had to be withdrawn a day later on March 5.
Since then the employees are waiting for the new notification. On the other hand, President of Secretariat Services Employees Federation Sanjeev Sharma along with his other officials met Principal Secretary Finance Devesh Kumar on Tuesday.
The employees have given a memorandum to the Finance Secretary, in which it has been said that those who have arrears up to one lakh, the government should pay five percent every month and those who have arrears up to two lakh, the government should pay four percent every month.
The government should pay three percent every month on arrears amounting to more than this.
Employee Suggestions
There is also a suggestion that the state government can give a lump sum installment of Rs 50,000, but the formula should not be based on 0.25 percent. On the other hand, the Central Government on Tuesday issued orders to give four percent more dearness allowance.
After this notification, central employees now get 50 percent dearness allowance. This is 50 percent of the basic pay, whereas the Himachal government has just increased the dearness allowance by four percent from 34 percent to 38 percent.
Now here too only 12 percent of the dearness allowance is left to be paid to the state government employees.
In the notification issued on March 2, the state government had given the installment of four percent dearness allowance, on which Rs 580 crore is to be spent for the employees and pensioners together. The formula for arrears of one installment of this dearness allowance is not being finalized yet.