Srinagar, Dec 30 (KNS): Ahead of the upcoming budget session, Minister for Finance and Planning, Dr Haseeb Drabu has started consultations with different employees’ associations and other trade groups before giving it the final shape.
Different Employees’ unions have also pressed for implementation of 7th pay commission.
In a related development, a delegation of Employees Joint Action Committee (EJAC) led by its State President Abdul Qayoom Wani met Drabu at Civil Secretariat in Jammu to discuss on the issues of employees before coming budget session.
Principal Secretary Finance Naveen Choudhary and high officials of Finance department were present in the meeting. According to sources the government
The delegation apprised the Minister for Finance about the genuine demands of employees and handed over a 31-point charter of demands and discussed all the issues one by one especially the demand of regularization of all cadres of temporary employees, 7th Pay Commission, Pay Anomaly of clerical cadre, Masters and other anomalies, revocation of termination order of the employees terminated during present turmoil in the State, Revival and financial support to all public sector units besides other 27 demands were listed in the charter.
According to KNS, Wani appealed state govt. for revocation of termination order of employees and raised the demand that departmental enquiry should have been conducted before termination of these employees.
Wani reiterated his stand that the issues be fulfilled in the coming budget session otherwise the employees will be compelled to come on roads once again.
He told the Finance Minister that the employees of the state are waiting eagerly for the coming budget session and Finance Minister will take care of the employees’ problems and will keep the provision in the budget to fulfill the demands of temporary employees, government and private sector employees.
Wani said that we will wait for coming budget and will chalk out next strategy after budget announcement.
Accordingly, the Finance Minister assured other different employees’ unions including EJAC (R), EJAC (K), that state govt. is keen to resolve all the pending issues of govt. and public sector employees.
Meanwhile, official spokesperson of government in a statement to KNS also said that Drabu also held pre-Budget consultative meetings with J&K State Advisory Board for Development of Kissans and various Government Employees Associations, here today.
Vice Chairman JKSABDK, Daljit Singh Chib, MLC Surinder Choudhary, Financial Commissioner Agriculture Production Department Pramod Jain and Commissioner Secretary Finance Navin Kumar Choudhary also attended the meeting.
During the meeting, Vice-Chairman Daljit Singh Chib said that the J&K Kisan Advisory Board has been established to function as a bridge between the Government and the farmers. He further said that Budgetary provisions for the agriculture sector needs to be at least doubled so that the largest segment of the State’s population which is providing food to masses and Raw material for industries, besides services to the humanity is adequately cared for.Click Here To Follow Our WhatsApp Channel
He also demanded for the provision of States matching share to access Central funds.
During the meeting with Advisory Board for Development of Kisans, various suggestions pertaining to the development of agriculture sector were received from the members including storage facilities at Udhampur railway station, construction of check dams to promote mountain farming, subsidy on diesel for tractors being used in farming, subsidy on mechanized farming equipments, State Disaster Response Fund to the farmers should be made operational, Tissue culture labs should be given priority, release of pending subsidy amount on bore-wells, opening of canals in winter season, toll tax on import of flowers from outside, revolving fund for access to Centre Sponsored Schemes (CSS), special package for dry spell affected farmers, contributory insurance, establishment of permanent mandis, special allocation for subsidy in border areas, toll exemption on potato seeds, additional subsidy on pesticides and seeds, development of irrigation system in the state, special awareness camps for the farmers to educate them about modern methods being used in farming, establishment of cold stores, motor pumps imported from outside should be made tax free, policy for promoting dairy farming in the state and others.
The Government Employees Associations which met the Finance Minister included J&K Civil Secretariat Employees Coordination Committee, J&K Employees Joint Action Committee, J&K Employees Joint Action Committee (K), State Government Employees Joint Action Committee (SGEJAC), All J&K Diploma Engineers Association, J&K State Road Transport Corporation Workers Union, All J&K Patwar Association, J&K Commercial Taxes Non-Gazetted Employees Association Jammu, J&K Electrical Engineering Graduates Association, All J&K Pensioners & Civil Society Association, Casual/Need Based PHE Employees Union (Jammu Province), All J&K NHM Employees Association and All J&K Non Gazetted Forest Officers Association put forth their demands.
Main demands highlighted in the meeting by participating associations included removal of pay anomalies of all cadres, implementation of 7th Pay Commission Report, policy for regularisation of daily rated casual, seasonal, temporary workers working in different departments, implementation of minimum wages act, financial support and revival of sick Public Sector Enterprises, enhancement of medical allowance, uniform HRA to all employees, filling of all vacant posts in different departments, regularization of salaries of employees working under SSA, RMSA, NPS, SBM and contingent paid workers, restoration of LTC, border allowance for employees working in border areas, release of pending DA, facilities for Durbar move non-gazetted employees, online GP Fund account, development of infrastructure for Patwar halqa and timely DPCs for Patwaris.
While interacting with the associations, Dr Drabu assured them that their genuine demands and grievances would be looked into and redressed accordingly.
He said the Government is aware of the problems being faced by the employees and these would be solved in a time bound manner. (KNS)