Justify your salary hikes, Himanta to government employees

First installment of arrear of revised salaries to be released before Rongali Bihu, more benefits for State employees and pensioners in the offing 
BY OUR STAFF REPORTER 
GUWAHATI, March 18: A day after the Sarbanda Sonowal cabinet approved the recommendations of Seventh Pay Commission, the State government on Saturday asked its 4 lakh plus employees to justify their salary hike by serving the public more sincerely and effectively.
"Our government has given whatever is due to employees by promptly accepting the recommendations of Seventh Pay Commission. Commitment and sincerity of the present government towards its employees is evident from the fact that in less than one year since taking charge in Dispur, we accepted the commission's recommendations and are going to implement the same from the next fiscal starting in April 2017. Now the ball is in the employees' court to justify they deserve such hike in their salaries and wages, by serving the public with complete dedication," State Fince minister Himanta Biswa Sarma told reporters here on Saturday afternoon.
The Pay panel, headed by former State Chief Secretary PP Verma, recommended between 14.61 per cent and 18.69 per cent hike in the basic salaries of Grade III and IV employees of the State government. For Grade I and II officers, the salary raise is recommended to be between 5.05 per cent and 13.3 per cent. The panel constituted by the erstwhile Congress regime in the State had submitted its recommendations to the present BJP government in Dispur in November last year.
Sarma said the present government will now have to spend Rs 24,000 crore annually for payment of revised salaries, pension and wages to its employees. The government will start paying the revised salaries and pension from next month. 
The cabinet yesterday decided to release the first installment of arrears to the employees before Rongali Bihu in April. Sarma said since the Seventh Pay Commission's recommendations will be implemented with effect from April 1, 2016, the employees would receive arrear amounts for a period of one year till March 31, 2017. The total amount of arrears to be paid to employees is around Rs 3,087 crore. The second installment of arrears will be released to employees before Durga Puja in October this year. 
The Fince minister said the State government has also decided to bring more cheers to State pensioners and family pensioners by implementing new schemes. He said pensioners who have attained the age 80 or 80 plus will immediately get 20 per cent additiol pension to their existing pension amount. In case a government employee dies during service period, his wife will be entitled to get full pension for 10 years. Normally, the family pension is half of the pension that a State government employee receives after his retirement. 
Sarma further announced that the government will also come up with another welfare scheme for its employees who die in harness. Under this scheme, the family of the deceased employee will continue to receive his full salary till the date and year of his retirement. For example, if an employee dies in service aged 55 years, his family will continue to receive his full salary for the next five years (retirement age at 60) 
The Pay panel had recommended that newly appointed officers should receive half salaries during their probation period. Sarma however said the State cabinet on Friday decided to give full salaries to officers even during their probation time. 
Sarma said the government has decided to give uniform pay scales to employees who are working in the offices of different directorates and those who are serving at districts offices. Such uniformity will do away with salary hassles that crop up during transfer of these employees, he said. 
 It was also announced during Saturday's press conference that the State government will sign a memorandum of understanding with the State Bank of India on March 24 to provide home and education loans for government employees and their children respectively. 
According to Sarma said the state's economy is improving after the BJP led government assumed power last year. He claimed that the economy is growing at the present growth rate of 21 per cent. 
STATE GST LAWS : Sarma said since the Centre has ected the GST laws the state would convene a special session of Assam Assembly in May to frame and pass the state GST Act.