Assam Government announces Salary bonanza for Master roll and Casual staff

GUWAHATI: The Assam government on Monday made a major pay hike for its 12,000 plus master roll and casual employees amidst the controversy of stopping the future recruitment of fourth-grade employees by the different government departments.

Finance Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma told reporters here on Monday afternoon that altogether 12,860 master roll and casual employees engaged in 52 government department have so far been receiving fixed monthly salaries between Rs 3,000 and Rs 6,000. He said the State Cabinet has decided to bring these employees under the regular pay grade which will see an increase of their monthly salary from Rs 6,000 to Rs 18,000. The new pay scale will be effective from November 1, 2018.

Reiterating the present government’s care and commitment for its all kinds of employees, Sarma said the new pay package for master roll and casual employees will make the State’s exchequer to bear an additional annual expenditure of about Rs 180 crore. He said most of these employees were appointed by the government between 1995 and 2005.

On other hand, Sarma refuted the news items published in a section of media that the government is going to stop future recruitment of fourth-grade employees. “Recently the government has appointed 3,711 fourth-grade employees in the Health department. The government will continue to do so in the other departments as well,” he said.