Release of salary

Several lakh employees of Assam are happy that the State Government has decided to release their salaries from May 8 onwards. The State Finance department has already issued orders to all treasury officers to this effect. It is very significant that the Assam Government has taken such a decision, especially at a time when other states have been reducing salaries of their employees due to the economic crisis triggered off by the global COVID-19 pandemic. The Assam Government had earlier last month released the full salary of all its employees for the month of March. What will happen to salaries for the month of May however has remained a big question. Himanta Biswa Sarma, who also holds the Finance portfolio had only a few days ago stated that the government will not be able to pay salaries of its employees for May if it does not get financial support from outside. It is a fact that the State Government can impose taxes only on petrol, diesel and liquor. Beyond that the State Government will have to consult the GST Council, of which however, Sarma is an important member. But while the State and Central Governments employees are now getting their April salary and pension, a large number people working in the private sector and unorganized sector are yet to get their salary for March, not to speak of April. These include employees of private hospitals and nursing homes, hotels and resorts, manufacturing companies, supply and agency houses, manufacturing units located in government industrial estates, private educational institutions, non-provicialized schools and colleges and so on. Moreover, a large number of domestic workers engaged in homes in towns and cities are also being deprived of their wages as in most cases employers have taken the advantage of refusing them their dues because they have not attended work. No agency on the other hand has any statistics about how many lakh people who work as salesmen or salesgirls in petty shops, showrooms and malls have been deprived of their salary/wages for the month of March and April. This has been happening despite the fact that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had very categorically appealed to employers big and small not to deprive their employees from salary/wages, and not to throw them out.